The Long Meaningful Ramble 2: Mirror Image
by reddwarfaddict
Summary: All seems to be going well for the Doctor and Rose as they recover from the events of the prequel...until one night the Doctor disappears and finds himself fighting for his rightful place in time, challenged by his tortured future self. Major DoctorWhump.
1. The Doctor's Fan Club

**A/N: **Disclaimer: Hands up who owns Doctor Who? (Raises hand) (Pause) (Puts hand down) Whoops. My bad.

I promised there'd be a sequel, didn't I? Yace, I did. I did, I did, I did! I thought I saw puddy cat! I did! I did see...(Ahem) Anyways, back to the lowdown. I originally wanted to start posting this a bit later, on the 1st March. But who am I kidding? I can't wait that long! So you can have it early - on one condition, printed at the bottom.

This of course, is the sequel to The Long Meaningful Ramble, again, lacking a summary. You would probably need to read that to FULLY appreciate this, but I'm trying to drop the hints of what happened last time in the text. But here's a summary anyway (Bear with me, it was a pretty long story :P):

_After a drunken night in the TARDIS, the Doctor and Rose find they did more than intended during the night upon waking in the same bed. But even as they try to dismiss it, Rose finds she is pregnant with the Doctor's baby in a phone call with a mysterious voice that promises to kill her, the Doctor and their baby. However, before she can tell the Doctor about their child and the mysterious caller, a shadow species called the Darkeese - a race of trained mafia hitmen - are already on their trail. The Darkeese is fought off, but shortly afterwards the Doctor and Rose are both involved in a massive bus accident with another lifeform driving a lorry bent on killing them both, leaving the Doctor near-death and trapped in a human hospital - but Rose practically unharmed._

The Doctor's alienity is soon discovered by the the doctors and nurses, and a mysterious faction named Torchwood _step in to take this alien away. Fueled by the knowledge that the Doctor doesn't know of their child, Rose plans to infiltrate Torchwood and get him back. Meanwhile, the Doctor has met a certain Captain Jack Harkness whilst trying to escape the Torchwood tower, and even Jack is unable to stop the Torchwood employees from giving the Doctor his poison - Penicillin. _

_Rose arrives with Howard, the guy from the market, in the Torchwood tower only to meet Jack. He informs her of the Doctor's drastic status, and helps Rose and Howard escape with the Doctor to the outside world past the guards. Jack stays behind at Torchwood, but gives his motorbike keys to Rose, providing a getaway vehicle back to Howard's flat._

_The Doctor's health plummets, but unconsciously has earnt £15,000 from his selfless actions to save a child in the bus accident, who is the daughter of a billionaire. Jackie tries all she can to save the Doctor from death, but it is realised they must go back to the TARDIS in order to save his life. They make it with seconds to spare, and the Doctor fully comes around to see a heavily pregnant Rose, despite the fact she is only at five days. They find it's twins - a boy and a girl - and they are due in two days._

_The Doctor discovers he has a psychic link with his child as he feels the pain of Rose's contractions. Only just after he's sorted that out, the babies arrive a day early. But the birth is not as smooth as anticipated - the Doctor soon discovers either Rose or his baby daughter Eva must die by his hands, and it becomes the latter, much to his distress.  
_

_After the funeral, the Doctor and Rose both make a pact never to return to the grave holding their dead second child - and they have another one, a baby boy named Rory Alexis Sigma-Tyler to worry about. But not even the dark forces are sympathetic as the Darkeese return. The Doctor escapes the attack with minor injuries and a concussion, but discovers the Darkeese are not the ones trying to kill him and are only trying to take his child, which means there is another entity out there tryign to kill them. The Doctor does however, discover the alias of the person trying to take his child using the Darkeese. The Bad Wolf._

_The Doctor and Rose leave the Powell Estate after a short recovery session for the Doctor, who is rendered useless by his concussion. They swear to first go shopping for Rory, then go to a R and R centre to let the Doctor recover, and then tackle the 'Bad Wolf' and it's obssession with trying to take the defenceless baby Time Lord._

(Phew)_  
_

* * *

  
Chapter 1 – The Doctor's Fan Club

_Ring, ring._

_Ring, ring._

_Ring, ring._

The Doctor sighed a very muffled sigh loudly, turning over under the double duvet cover that Rose had dragged from his bed to the temporary Nursery. His right arm automatically extended out and draped lazily over the person in question, who was lying snoozing under the duvet next to him.

_Ring, ring._

_Ring, ring._

_Ring, ring._

"S'your ship…" Rose slurred, half in a daze.

"S'your mother…" he countered.

"S'your sperm…"

"You gave birth…"

"You got me drunk enough to have sex…"

"I deny that…" he simply answered, knowing full well he had just been defeated by a human woman. If only Romana could see him now…

He didn't open his eyes, but instead groaned loudly as a form of an answer to the TARDIS, a signal to accept the call.

"Hello Jackie," he said in a drawn-out voice, as if he'd done the same thing a thousand times before. Probably had, too.

"'_Ello Doctor," _Jackie's disembodied voice said from the Heavens, the phone call echoing throughout the temporary Nursery. _"Just callin' to see 'ow my special grandson is doin'."_

"Rory's fine, Jackie," the Doctor replied as he sat up and spoke to the ceiling, a slight tinge of annoyance in his voice, "really. He's exactly the same as he was five minutes ago when you last rang and asked the exact same question. He's fine, has always _been_ fine and always _will be_ fine. Be sure Jackie, if he suddenly develops a small cough, I'll be the first to let you know."

"_Good, good. And is Rose okay, Doctor?"_ she asked, obviously missing the deadpan.

"No, actually, she's not. She's currently dying in a pool of her own blood gasping for air because I just randomly went psychopathic and stabbed her six times in the chest."

The line went silent.

"Or alternatively," the Doctor carried on, "she could be lying next to me half asleep drooling onto my arm."

There was a small, hesitant laugh on the other end of the line – and the Doctor frowned.

"You didn't think I was serious did you?" he asked, genuinely offended.

"_Well, never can be too sure 'bout tha' with you, Doctor," _Jackie reasoned out, and the Doctor just rolled his eyes as he slipped back down under the warm double duvet.

"Good night Jackie," he said instantly, trying to end the call so he could go back to sleep.

"_Night? It's lunchtime!"_

"It's 3:00am here mum," Rose explained in a crackly, tired voice as she sat up, sensing the Doctor was extremely likely to faint from exhaustion if he didn't get some sleep soon. "We really need some sleep. Any chance you could like, avoid the phone for a few hours? If someone dies suddenly from a heart attack…"

"Or lack of sleep!" the Doctor put in loudly.

"…I'm sure one of us will call you," Rose finished off, studiously ignoring him.

"_Okay darlin',"_ Jackie answered, _"Love you, sleep well."_

There was a welcome silence in the TARDIS once more and the Doctor was quick to reach up and grab Rose's night t-shirt, dragging her back down into bed.

"Rose, if she calls back within the hour I swear I will not be responsible for my actions," he murmured with his face pressed into the pillow, the result of which muffling his voice to such a degree Rose had to get closer towards him to distinguish the sounds.

"Don't worry, she won't be. How's your head?"

"I'll survive."

It had been around seven hours since they'd left Jackie, Mickey and Howard on the Powell Estate to their own lives, and since then the Doctor and Rose had been trying to go to sleep so they were fully rejuvenated for tomorrow's all day shopping trip. Rory Alexis Sigma-Tyler was currently being fed dinner leftovers and his nappies were of the Tesco's Basic range – probably not the best of the nappies out there.

Since they had left the Powell Estate however, Jackie had found it a necessity to keep calling them to check on her grandson. After what had happened with Eva, they all been a little off guard – but Jackie was just overly protecting them now. The Doctor would be glad when everything could be totally forgotten.

"Y'know what?" Rose asked as she curled into him. "You should get an answerin' machine." She looked up at him, seeing him smile slightly.

"That's a good idea, actually. I'll give it a go. Night, night Rose."

"Night Doctor."

The TARDIS thoughtfully dimmed the lights as the two time-travellers gently slipped into sleep, dreaming of bananas, talking cats and each other. And then:

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Rory needs a nappy change, Doctor."

* * *

Seven hours and two nappy changes later the Doctor was sitting alone at the first kitchen table sleepily poking at his half-drowned cornflakes with bleary eyes, in the midst of the process of dressing accompanied with a pounding headache ringing through his skull. He felt so middle-aged and overworked. Is this what being an average human felt like?

"He's sleepin' again," Rose said as she walked into the kitchen and planted a kiss on his cheek, slipping down into the chair opposite.

He grunted in reply, lacking the energy to string a sentence together as he spooned up some cereal and shoved it into his mouth. Rose eyed him chewing as slowly as he was, concerned.

"You okay? You're lookin' a little flushed."

He visibly swallowed, straining to do so slightly. "Oh, I can't think of a reason I might be tired," the Doctor said sarcastically, now stabbing at the cornflakes just for something to do.

"Aww, poor Doctor, needin' his sleep. You're gettin' old."

"I'm getting concussed," he insisted as he pushed the bowl of milky cornflakes away from him, losing his appetite. He dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his eyes free of the sting of sleep. Rose started to get worried again.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked, reaching towards him and taking his wrist to grab his attention. "If you don't feel up to it we could always take another day in the TARDIS. Doesn't _have _to be done today y'know."

"No, no, no, I'm fine," he claimed, pulling his wrist away from Rose's grasp and getting onto his feet. "We'll do it today. Get it done."

"Right, better get ready," Rose suggested, also pulling herself to her feet. "D'you need help with…" she trailed off, thinking maybe it would be a little patronising – probably slightly erotic, too. "…Y'know…gettin' dressed."

The Doctor stared at her humorously. "Please Rose, I'm not that incompetent." He turned and walked out the kitchen doorway with a distinguished 'hmph', turning left at the split.

"Doctor," Rose called out to him, rolling her eyes. "Other way."

He walked back in view again, peering inquisitively down the right-hand corridor. Satisfied with what he saw, he turned to Rose and raised an adamant finger.

"…I knew that," he insisted, and walked out of view again.

* * *

If Rose had to describe the Transgalactic Hyperspace Hypergo Market in one word, just one word…that word would be: "Coo."

The Doctor grinned as he watched his youthful human companion gawp a goldfish look at the pure vastness of this apparent 'shop'. It looked more like a mini-city than the off-licence down the road in the Powell Estate, with every single building being a different department.

The women's clothing building was basically a twelve-storey mansion – but as the Doctor reasoned, the clothes had to also be split up into different lifeform categories. Even the Raxacoricofalipatorions, which was abbreviated to Raxacons, had their own section, and the Doctor was quick to assure her they didn't sell human body suits from popular demand.

Rose took a look at the 'shop', gulping back her tears of joy. This was the kind of place she _dreamt _about. "Wow," she breathed.

"D'you like it?"

"It's…big."

"Yeah, but do you like it?"

"Very big."

The Doctor rolled his eyes despairingly, taking her hand and pulling her to a nearby counter of about six hundred in a line, where a very bored looking green lifeform was sat reading 'How to configure your Dimensional Stabilisation Refractor in six hundred easy steps' with its feet propped up on the counter.

The Doctor coughed loudly with intent to grab its attention, and it stifled a yawn as it dropped the newspaper like a man on the edge of patience.

"Yes?" it asked in a curt voice.

"Can we list in please?" the Doctor enquired in his politest voice, and the lifeform heaved a loud sigh, leaning forward and taking a small slim metal device bleeping in a bright array of colours which served as a pen in hand.

"Welcome to the Transgalactic Hyperspace Hypergo Market," the lifeform started in a drawn out voice, apparent that it had gone over this speech more than a thousand times before. "I am Sennheiser your friendly Moogroo ready to answer any questions you might have about this wonderful establishment which is now number one in the universe for all your shopping needs. If you are not a local, we are situated across the span of over ten thousand galaxies and there's sure to be one near you. Visit your nearest space station for one of our branches. First of all I will have to ask you to fill in a few details for reasons of health and safety. Mr. and Mrs…?"

The Doctor was about to open his mouth and give out the usual false identities, but Rose was quick to cut over the top of him.

"Sigma," she said, earning an intrigued stare from the Doctor. "I'm Rose Sigma, and this is John Sigma."

Sennheiser lowered its curious pen to electronic board, jotting down the names it'd just been given.

"Species?"

"Rose here is a human, and I'm a Time Lord," the Doctor said. Sennheiser suddenly looked slightly surprised, staring at the Doctor as if he were a ghost before shaking its head to clear its thoughts and went back to writing.

"Wow, didn't realise you guys were still around," it explained its moment of surprise. "Where'd you all disappear too? Something to do with the shop?"

The Doctor sniffed. "Prices were too high."

Sennheiser smiled for apparently the first time since they'd met. "Well, no point asking you anymore Mr. Time Lord sir. I'm probably just wasting your time. Ha, ha." Not getting any laughs, Sennheiser hastily cleared its throat, disappearing out of view behind the counter for a moment before reappearing with a cluster of papers in its hands.

"Do you require an exchange of currency?"

"Yes, please," the Doctor said, digging into his trenchcoat pocket with his free hand and slamming about ten thousand in cold, hard, clean cash on the counter.

"Ten thousand human pounds to Goegols please."

Rose looked at the Doctor, confused. "Goegols?" she whispered.

"Shop's so huge it has its own currency," he stage-whispered back.

"Wow," Sennheiser gawped, picking up the money and flicking mesmerising through the healthy wad. "This is a rare currency."

"It is when Tony Blair's in power," Rose muttered in an undertone as Sennheiser began mumbling calculations to himself, trying to work out the exchange rate.

"Twenty thousand," the Doctor said instantly, taking some paper Goegols out of Sennheiser's hand and shoving them into his right trenchcoat pocket.

Sennheiser held out the pieces of paper he was clutching, the Doctor also plucking them out of his hands and disappearing swiftly into his pocket.

"Here's your map of the shop, an information pamphlet and please put this in a visible place on your spaceship or it will get clamped. Have a nice day."

The Doctor smiled charismatically. "I'm sure we will."

"Oh, one more thing Mr. Time Lord sir?" Sennheiser suddenly piped up as the two began to walk away, making them turn back around to face him.

"Yeah?"

"D'you know a guy named 'the Doctor'?"

The Doctor winked at Rose. "Yes, he's a close friend of ours."

"Very sexy, intelligent and brave," Rose added, just for the hell of it.

"D'you know what he's up to nowadays?" Sennheiser asked meekly, as if he wasn't worthy to know what the Doctor was doing.

"Yes, actually," the Doctor said with a smile. "He's standing in the entrance of a Transgalactic Hyperspace Hypergo Market, talking to you."

And with that, he and Rose disappeared into the largest shop in the Universe to spend some money, leaving a shocked looking Moogroo behind them.

* * *

**A/N: **Here's the condition: REVIEW! Trust me, it gets better, I don't much like this chapter. I'll start giving previews when I'm sure I'm going to carry this story on. No reviews equals no story. 


	2. Angelina Jolie's Amazing Balancing Trick

**A/N: **Woo! I love you guys for your first reviews XD So biiiiiiiiig thanks to (Deep breath) **lupinsstar, One of the riddles, arieslily17, Black Magyk, abcoolness, gaiafreedom21, 0 Keelie 0, Harmonic-Bad-Wolf, DoctorWhoHoney329, UnderWearNinja, Blaidd Drwg, The Doctors Gal, wyldcat, Moody Maud, ****JForward, ****forestwife,** **Scout Girl **and **pixiespryte. **Trust me! Your reviews count so much! XD And yeah, add me on MSN, do whatever ya like - I'll just casually hint that I lost my sanity a while ago (A friend of mine ate it - I am NOT kidding) so add me, but I'm just warning you here!

As for this chapter, I'm not quite sure what was going through my mind when I wrote it. I guess it's to show the Doctor and Rose love each other, no, REALLY love each other, NO arguments!

(Hammy reference FTW!)

* * *

Chapter 2 – Angelina Jolie's Amazing Balancing Trick

The Doctor seemed a little jumpy.

He kept running his hand of his uncasted arm through his hair, biting his nails, pacing the floor like his was about to conquer a lifetime fear. All they were doing was waiting for a shuttle so they could get the Mothercare department within the hour.

"Doctor, calm down." Rose took his broken arm and cradled it in her arms carefully. "What's wrong?"

"N…Nothing," he stuttered out, pulling his arm out of her grasp and itching it nervously with his free arm. He shrugged back his shoulders as he let his arms fall to his side, and then brought them back up again to rub furiously at his temples.

"Doctor, tell me what's wrong, please?" she begged, not hearing the engines of the shuttle's advancement from behind them. He didn't say anything; just let his hands fall to his sides again limply – suddenly becoming a whole lot whiter as he stared over at the road behind her.

Rose turned to follow his gaze, seeing the shuttle designed exactly like a bus on Earth advancing towards them at breakneck speed. She immediately understood.

"Oh," she muttered. _He was scared but he didn't want to admit it. _It was perfectly understandable really, what with the whole 'aggh help me', 'oh my God Doctor you're going to regenerate','I'm dying' and 'Doctor I love you' thing that happened last time he'd set foot onto a bus.

The shuttle pulled up beside them and the doors hissed open, allowing entry for the couple. The Doctor just stood there, staring unseeingly at the shuttle, flashes of memory slashing painfully through his mind.

"Doctor?" Rose took his hand and squeezed it gently, the action alone bringing him out of his memory trail and back to reality. But before he could even realise it, she'd led him straight onto the shuttle and he heard the door whoosh smoothly shut behind him.

Within an instant they accelerated, nearly throwing him and Rose to the ground with the sudden unbalancing jerk. He quickly grabbed a handhold with his broken arm, wincing with the pain as his other arm shot out and grab Rose around the waist, like it was just a natural reflex.

"You all right?" he asked instantly, quickly switching the hand gripping the hold and sighing with relief.

"Yeah," she said, turning around and linking her arms around his stomach, pressing her ear to his chest to hear that beautiful double beat of his vital organs in stereo – currently pumping at three times the speed they should have been.

The Doctor started to get edgy again, glancing out the window at the rushing scenery before instantly looking away again as a bout of queasiness hit him.

"Can you slow down a little?" he asked the shuttle driver meekly, shuffling from foot to foot nervously. "You're not trying to break the land speed record, y'know. D'you _know _what happened to the last guy who tried to do that?"

Rose shushed him gently, pressing a finger to his lips and fixing him with a smile that could probably even melt the floor they were standing on.

"Be brave Mr. Time Lord," she whispered seductively.

He gulped, letting his eyes wander to the other occupants of the shuttle who were all staring on at the two in disgust.

"It's revolting!" an older lifeform said in a disapproving shriek, as if the Doctor and Rose weren't even there. "Can't even control their lust in public!"

"The youth of today!" the other older lifeform sitting next to it said with a tutting noise, shaking its finger disapprovingly.

He looked back down at Rose who was just smiling playfully at him. She was going to have fun with this; he knew it.

She linked her arms around his neck, making it absolutely blatant that she was in love with this guy whilst pulling his head down to her height, giving him a full, long, loving, wet kiss straight on his lips.

The Doctor had to fight back the strong urge to laugh as the lifeforms instantly began to shriek their disapproval loudly, several mothers gasping and shielding the eyes of their offspring as one said in a small voice, "mummy, how come you and daddy never do that?"

"I think it's kind of sweet," some other lifeform said, smiling at the Doctor. "They're a cute couple."

Suddenly without warning, the shuttle lurched a turn at nothing less than seventy miles per hour, almost throwing every single passenger through their nearest window. The Doctor's body physically prepared itself for pain, but to his immense relief, impact never came. By the time the shuttle had screeched to a quick and messy halt Rose was keeping them both stationary by having her arms around his waist and holding onto the metal bar he was leaning on.

"Games and Entertainment!" the shuttle driver called, and the Doctor immediately yelled, "that's us!" grabbed Rose's hand and leapt out of the shuttle onto hard, solid ground.

The shuttle tore away from behind them, the screams of the terrified passengers they had once been part of dying away with its departure like a roller coaster down a steep drop.

* * *

"Rose…Angelina Jolie is staring at me…" the Doctor moaned childishly, staring fixedly at the plastic incarnation of Angelina Jolie standing erect in the centre of the electronics building of the THHM like a statue of Napoleon. 

"What's she starin' at you with? Her eyes or her breasts?" Rose asked mildly, hunting through the Xbox game collection on the shelf. It was amazing. They even had Nintendo – which is more than can be said for many Earth game shops.

The Doctor sniffed at her reply, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Depends where I'm looking at the time."

The Doctor had told her in his 'Tour Guide voice' that most of Earth's classic game creations like Tomb Raider (Angelina Jolie was infact an alien from Balistos and had been banned from the national space museum for destroying a priceless time artefact), Sonic the Hedgehog (Yes, he had an evil twin named Shadow and really _did _run that fast up walls) and even Pacman (The poor guy had just been hungry, so imagine his surprise when after eating a dodgy Kronkburger everything suddenly started flashing and he found he could walk into wandering people and make them disappear) had all been creations of the alien world, based on real people and events.

Rose had immediately told him she didn't believe him, but the Doctor had then gone on to tell her about the real reason why Spyro the Dragon had suddenly disappeared from game production was because the small dragon writing down the events in his life was brutally murdered by a strange orange figure in blue shorts wielding an apple bazooka. But the space police found no trace of him or his bazooka, although they did see a giant bird fly away into the moonlight that night…

Rose look up at the plastic model to take a look, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Look at that! Angelina Jolie doesn't have breasts that huge. They're like basketballs!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

"How can she even stand up? She'd just over-balance! Then again, she's probably got lead weights in her bum or somethin' to balance it out."

"Yeah…" the Doctor agreed, not really listening. He turned away from the plastic model, trying to appear as though he had an interest in what Rose was actually doing by clicking his tongue in approval at the Xbox game marked at eighty Goegols.

"Or maybe she just has a much bigger bum in real life," Rose reasoned out with herself, before returning to the shelf of games.

"So…" the Doctor started after a pause, glancing around the games building, hands in pockets. "Why exactly are we doing this again?"

"Because you can't even get off at the right stop."

"It was a momentary miscalculation in the heat of the moment…" he started in defence, not wanting to admit he was infact terrified by the whole shuttle thing but Rose just rudely cut over the top of him.

"You call yourself a superbein' Time Lord with a huge brain and equally as large ego and you don't even know what stop to get off at!" she snapped, and he paled dramatically, looking a little taken aback and hurt.

Rose paused in her search and looked at him, suddenly overcome by his teddy bear blank look as she realised the truth.

"Aww, c'mere…" She put her arms around him tightly in a hug, to which she received one back. "I'm sorry."

"S'ok," he muttered back.

She drew away from the hug and went back to searching the games shelf while the Doctor grinned slightly to himself. That look _always _worked on her.

"Rose," he said suddenly, gesturing towards the door. "I need to get away from Angelina Jolie's inflatables. Shout if you need me."

"Will do."

* * *

Five minutes later Rose emerged from the Games and Entertainment building holding about three bags in each hand, to which the Doctor was amazed. 

"Where _do _you woman find the resources to buy so much?" the Doctor asked mildly, staring at the truckload of items in Rose's hand. "I swear I only gave you two hundred Goegols."

"I improvised," she replied simply, and the Doctor took that as a hint for 'shut up you stupid male' and swiftly went on mute.

Rose cocked her head to one side at him, before she raised that question he dreaded to hear.

"We gonna get back on the shuttle, then?"

Catching his expression Rose decided to give him benefit of the doubt, putting on an edgy expression.

"But, I don't really fancy one so fast. Is there a slower shuttle that runs here?"

"Umm…" the Doctor mumbled, thinking hard for a way out of this. "There…there's a medical one, but that transports people to the medical department…and a family one, for y'know, families with babies and toddlers. It goes at a steady speed so it won't upset the children. But, we can't board that one."

Rose stared at him. "…Why not?"

"'Cause we need a child to…" he suddenly stopped, realisation spreading onto his face. "Oh yeah!"

"But he's not with us right now," Rose pointed out.

"Nope."

"Well, I could always go back on the normal shuttle then come on the family one to pick you up," Rose suggested.

"Rose, if you're uncomfortable with the speed of the shuttle I could always…" even though he was trying to hide it, the dread of her answer was apparent. "…Go instead."

"No, it's fine. You just stay here and DON'T MOVE," she raised her voice at the last two words, handing him the ten thousand carrier bags she held. "If you start to feel out of it, grab the medical shuttle and I'll meet you there." She ran fun pelt to the shuttle stop where a shuttle was already loading on the last of the passengers.

The Doctor watched her go, dropping onto a nearby bench and putting the bags carefully down next to him. She waved at him as she got a window seat, and he waved back, and didn't stop until the shuttle zoomed out of existence.

* * *

**A/N: **The reviews were so awesome last time - can't actually express that enough - that I'm gonna give you a preview now. 

_Chapter 3 – Booboo_

_ "Booboo upstairs?" _

_ "No, Booboo's downstairs." _

_ "Booboo go downstairs." _

_ "Booboo's already downstairs…" _

_ "Booboo upstairs?" _

_ "Booboo's downstairs." _

_ The Doctor blinked, trying to keep up with the rate of the conversation. "My head hurts," he contributed._

I've already pre-written around sixish chapters, I had lots of fun writing this! Hope it isn't too rubbish :-/

For now, I must sort out my priorities. Penguins...penguins...with the penguins..._  
_


	3. Booboo

**A/N: **Tried my hand at a summary. Ish. Damn, it's rubbish.

And the Doctor is still hurt. (Sob)  
  


* * *

  
Chapter 3 – Booboo

Surprisingly, he stayed put. But not for the first time that day, the buildings were starting to swerve in and out and an alarming rate.

It can't have been more than ten minutes since Rose had left him, but his head hurt, he felt thirsty and hungry as well as sleepy. What had Rose's words been to him? 'If you start to feel out of it, grab the medical shuttle, and I'll meet you there.'

Medical shuttle? He opened his eyes and glanced around the blurring landscape, but looking just made his head hurt from the brightness of the lights. Where could he get a medical shuttle? He had a nagging feeling he already knew, but even thinking just made his head hurt even more and his eyes feel like they were being ripped from their sockets.

"Hey baby, you all right?" someone asked from beside him, and he just gasped a clear, "yeah I'm fine," as he realised it was the voice of a woman. He wasn't really in the mood to start having beautiful women come onto him.

"Need a pick-me-up?" she asked, and he eased open his eyes to just about register a bottle of what looked like a caffeinated drink – in respects, like a cup of coffee.

"I'm taken," he said bluntly, and the woman - he still couldn't quite register her - laughed and took his hand, holding his own ringed finger up to his face.

"Yeah, I could tell," she said, and it took a few moments before the Doctor remembered the ring wasn't a wedding ring, but infact a bio-damper.

"We're not married…" he said weakly, though maybe his speaking was so merged she couldn't actually understand him enough to take it in.

"You think me offering you a pick-me-up after seeing you close to a coma is coming onto you? Baby, I ain't even trying."

He paused, and then resigned as he took the drink in both hands, his only way of steadying it. He gulped the sweet tasting liquid down, waited a few moments and then opened his eyes again.

She was a little clearer. She had long wavy brown hair and enchanting eyes the mixed colour of a forest floor – though the freaky alien thing was that she infact had four arms, two from either side.

"Besides," she carried on with a heart-warming smile. "I would be pretty lowly if I took advantage over a weakened man."

"Thanks," the Doctor said wearily, taking another sip of the pick-me-up.

"What's your name?"

"I'm the Doctor," he replied, draining the last of the substance and handing the now empty bottle back to her.

"I think you're in _need_ of a doctor," she answered truthfully, slipping the bottle back into her handbag. "Want me to take you to a medical shuttle?"

Considering he was feeling a little better now, he thought maybe it would be a little pointless and time consuming. "No, thanks."

"Well, don't hang here too long, not good for you in your state," she said and stood up, the distant sound of a shuttle flowing to a halt in the background.

"I'm waiting for someone," he said truthfully.

"Her?" she asked, gesturing to Rose who was standing in the shuttle door, calling his name.

"Yeah…" he said weakly, struggling to get to his feet as his head swam.

"Need a hand?" she asked, slipping two of her quad of arms around his chest to hold him up. With her other two arms she grabbed his carrier bags and began to walk over to the shuttle, where Rose had started to look anxious.

"What's wrong?" she asked as the four-armed lifeform handed her the bags and supported the Doctor with her other two arms aswell.

"I don't know; he looked close to passing out when I found him. Gave him some pick-me-up though, should be fine in a couple of minutes."

"Tasted nice…" the Doctor put in, trying to right himself but the lifeform held him steady.

Rose thanked her and sprinted to the back of the shuttle where she was sat, dropping the carrier bags there before sprinting back and receiving the Doctor.

"Is he okay? D'you need to go to the medical department?" the shuttle driver asked, a lot more concerned than the last one.

"No, it's okay. He's just concussed; it'll be fine soon. Can you just wait a sec, though?"

The shuttle driver nodded as Rose and the lifeform dragged the Doctor to the back of the shuttle, him struggling to battle against their hold, trying to prove he could do it on his own. Every other passenger now looked concerned, which was more than could be said for the last shuttle.

"I'm fine Rose…" he said as they dropped him into the window seat, his head lolling onto the glass pane.

"Tell that to Death when he comes to greet you," Rose replied seriously, before thanking the lifeform again and offering her some Goegols for her trouble, to which she politely declined and got off the shuttle. Rose waved goodbye to her as they accelerated off, this time smoothly and slowly.

Rose pulled him back to lean on her shoulder, where he groaned about something to do with treacle tarts and their lack of recognition in today's modern society. He continued to mumble as other passengers turned to look at the pair of them, all uneasy and fearful. She tried her best to ignore them and kissed him gently on the forehead, willing for the caffeine to kick in sometime soon.

A few minutes later, the Doctor raised his head from her shoulder, a hand instantly clamping to the back of his skull and massaging where it was impolitely throbbing loudly.

"Feeling better?" Rose asked, handing him Rory who was burbling loudly.

"Fit as a trombone," he assured her.

"Fiddle…" Rose corrected slowly, and the Doctor frowned.

"Oh yeah. Always getting those two mixed up."

Rose sighed despairingly, but it turned into a laugh halfway through.

"Downstairs," Rory suddenly said loudly. "Booboo, downstairs dadda."

"Booboo?" the Doctor asked, frowning. "What's a Booboo?"

"It means him," Rose explained, gesturing to Rory. "He keeps calling himself Booboo."

"Oh." The Doctor paused. "…Am I missing something here?"

"Booboo, downstairs," Rory interrupted again, shifting in the blankets in the Doctor's arms.

"Yes, Booboo is downstairs on the shuttle," Rose said, and the Doctor stared at her.

"Booboo upstairs?"

"No, Booboo's downstairs."

"Booboo go downstairs."

"Booboo's already downstairs…"

"Booboo upstairs?"

"Booboo's downstairs."

The Doctor blinked, trying to keep up with the rate of the conversation. "My head hurts," he contributed.

"Mama upstairs?"

"No, mama downstairs."

"Dadda downstairs?"

"Yes, dadda downstairs."

"Booboo upstairs?"

"No, Booboo's downstairs…"

"Mama and Booboo?"

"Yes, mama and Booboo are both downstairs."

"Dadda?"

"He's downstairs too…"

"Booboo want ice cream!"

Rose glanced at the Doctor, who just shrugged.

"Jesus Christ Doctor, your son is weird."

* * *

**A/N: ** _Chapter 4 – No Glue, No Nails, No Fuss!_

_ "Oh, no problems." The Doctor smiled, produced his Sonic Screwdriver from the inside of his trenchcoat pocket and waving it from side to side. "No glue, no nails, no fuss!" he chimed out like a catchphrase from a TV advert, before pressing the button on the sonic screwdriver. _

_ And it exploded._


	4. No Glue, No Nails, No Fuss!

**A/N: **Schedule: FFXI, then washing up, then Top Gear, then Recovery. COME ON RECOVERY!

Keep reviewing! I lurve you all! XD

* * *

Chapter 4 – No Glue, No Nails, No Fuss!

"Mothercare stop," the shuttle driver announced loudly as the shuttle began to slow down to a halt outside a giant pink and blue coloured building. Several people got up onto their feet including the Doctor and Rose, and shuffled quietly to the door.

"Cheers," the Doctor nodded to the shuttle driver as they both stepped out into the bright artificial sunlight. To their right was a nursery, where lifeforms could put their children whilst they were shopping. But the Doctor simply walked on, pointing out simply that they would need Rory to get clothes his size.

They both agreed that the first thing they needed was a pram. The assistant poking his nose into their conversation was all too happy to point out the most expensive and elaborate pram in their stock, which looked more like a throne on wheels.

After a bit of quarrel over the colour, the Doctor and Rose picked a practical, compact pram marked at two hundred and fifty Goegols with hood, raincover, shopping basket, footmuff that converted to fleece liner and an extendable legrest – all of which meant nothing to the Doctor, but had approved it when he said it had 'very good handling and suspension' after whizzing once around the store with it.

Next on their list was a cot. Again, the seven hundred Goegol four-poster cot complete with sliding sunroof, in-cot radio and movable by remote control was swiftly pointed out to them by the sales assistant, to which the Doctor dismissed him and assured him they'd be fine without his helpful contributions.

"I like this one," Rose said, running a hand over the smooth wooden rails of a cot marked at a hundred and seventy Goegols. "It's got a drop down side, make things a hell of a lot easier."

But the Doctor had been looking too. "I like this one," he said from the other side of the room, and Rose looked over at the one he was standing by. "It's got teething rails as well as a drop down side."

"Price?"

"Does that really matter?"

"Guess not. You'll have to assemble it, though," she pointed out as she took a flat pack from the side and heaved it onto their trolley, immediately taking grasp of the pram handles with Rory inside so the Doctor would have to push the trolley around the store.

"Oh, no problems." The Doctor smiled, producing his Sonic Screwdriver from the inside of his trenchcoat pocket and waving it from side to side. "No glue, no nails, no fuss!" he chimed out like a catchphrase from a TV advert, before pressing the button on the sonic screwdriver.

And it exploded.

"Ow!" he yelled as several sparks flew out, scalding his hand. He instantly dropped the sonic device and jumped about in a do-si-do holding his burnt hand, saying "ow, ow, ow, ow" over and over again.

Rose laughed at his expense, and the Doctor shot her a glare, whimpering and sucking on the edge of his hand, which had now turned a bright red in a few places.

"Well, Mr. Domestic," Rose started, trying not to laugh again. "D'you need a hammer to get started on building?"

He stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at her.

"C'mon," she said as she laughed, turning back around and taking hold of Rory's new pram. "What's next on the list?"

"I'm gonna have to fix it now…" he moaned, completely ignoring her as he stared at the broken Sonic Screwdriver laying discarded on the floor. "We've had such good times, me and the Sonic…"

"Doctor," Rose interrupted loudly, poking his arm with a finger. "What's next?"

"Those weird walkie-talkie things that wake you up in the middle of the night when the baby starts crying, then the interference starts playing 'Is This The Way To Amarillo?' even louder than the baby's wailing."

"I see you're appreciative of modern technology," Rose pointed out, starting off down to the lift.

"Computers are nothing but educated idiots!" the Doctor yelled after her.

"Hurry up and bring the trolley Domestic Boy!" she yelled back and the Doctor rolled his eyes, stooping to pick up his broken beloved sonic device and gripping the metal hand bar of the trolley, grunting with the effort to push it.

* * *

The Doctor really needed to work out.

He told himself that so many times since his regeneration, but had never got around to it. He also needed tanning, but again, had never got the chance. Even though he had Rose and her 'you're absolutely perfect you don't need to change a thing' speech, it still didn't explain why he was currently gasping for air whilst trying to carry ten tonnes of baby clothes, toys and general accessories towards the back seat of the shuttle.

"You alright?" Rose asked casually with a smile as he tried to contain the pain of his aching limbs.

"Yep," he gasped over the pain of his resetting broken arm currently working overtime to stay in one piece. "Dandy!"

He sighed with immense relief as he reached his destination, dropping the bags rather lazily onto the floor and dropping exhaustedly onto his back, sprawled out in amongst ten thousand bags of shopping.

"That's all of Rory's stuff," Rose said, hunting through the bags as the shuttle pulled off.

"How can a tiny baby need this much?" the Doctor whined to no one in particular. "It's like we've got Cliff Richard's entire Christmas CD collection here! I bet he won't even use it all! And what happens when he grows out of it, ay? What do we do then?"

"Keep it as treasured memories?" Rose suggested mildly, already knowing his answer.

"Treasured memories?! I'm dying here!" he said loudly, turning over onto his side and using a carrier bag as a pillow. "Still, just glad it's over."

Rose didn't reply for a moment.

The Doctor found this extremely unsettling as he turned his head to look at her. "It _is _over, right?"

"I…" Rose started, uncertainly. "I…wanted to go to the Women's Clothes department."

He whimpered, curling up into a ball on the floor and hugging his knees tightly, singing 'Rock-A-Baby' over and over in a high-pitched voice.

* * *

"I can't believe they clamped us!"

Rose stared furiously at the giant yellow clamps sat against their beloved Time Ship, clamping it down to the concrete. The Doctor however, seemed unconcerned. He simply halted the trolley packed full of a thousand filled carrier bags, dug into his amazing Time Lord pockets which was like a lucky dip, bringing out the TARDIS key. He jammed it into the lock and twisted, the door swinging inwards.

"Clamps schamps," he declared, pushing the trolley in through the open doors and running over to the console, programming immediately. "Won't ever catch _me _with clamps." He tapped the last button and Rose felt that familiar jolt as the TARDIS dematerialised, leaving four neat clamps in the centre of the Transgalactic Hyperspace Hypergo Market holding nothing but thin air.

"Park anywhere and never pay. Only two rules you'll ever need to get you by in life. Except maybe eat and drink - also very important. S'pose you couldn't actually _live _without food or drink…" he carried on, throwing his broken Sonic Screwdriver in a compartment concealed underneath the TARDIS console for later.

As cute as she found his musings, Rose had to admit she'd probably dead by the time he finished, so grabbing the last few carrier bags she took his arm and prised his hand off of the controls.

"…Y'know those people you get on TV and stuff…with like anorexia and stuff?" he wittered on, unaware Rose had just dragged him in through the TARDIS with Rory and the flat-pack cot into the Nursery. "Never could understand it. I mean, if I started myself on one carrot a day, there'd be nothing but a heap of bones and a pair of eyeballs on the floor by the end of the week…"

Settling Rory down in his temporary cot, she dropped the flat-pack onto the floor and walked back over to the Doctor; amazed he could possibly be so oblivious.

"…But there's another thingy with that too, isn't there? Bullema? Bohemia? Ooo, is that like 'Bohemian Rhapsody'? I love that song! Amazing guitar solo, brilliant at the concert – everyone was just screaming, and I think Peri got trod on a couple of times…she _was_ screaming a lot after – mainly at me, people always yell at me – _why? _I'm nice, why would people want to yell at me?"

"Because you _talk _too much_, that's_ why!" Rose yelled at him, thrusting a hammer and a pack of nails into his hands. "Good luck!" She smiled, and bounced out the doorway.

* * *

**A/N:** _Chapter 5 – Thank God It's Not From Ikea_

_Rory took a look at the instruction manual, staring at it in curiosity. He crawled forward towards his father, took the instruction manual into his hands and glanced it over for a few seconds, before shoving it into his mouth and chewing on it._

_"Eww, no Rory…" the Doctor took the dripping wet instruction manual back out from Rory's mouth, grimacing as he peeled it apart. "Eww…baby slobber…"_


	5. Thank God It's Not From Ikea

**A/N: **Of _course_ I'm lolling you all into a false sense of security:P Hehe, you're right - it's been pure fluff so far, but the evilness will start next chapter. Then I reckon I'm gonna have a little bit of romance after that...then by chapter seven it gets serious :P GRR!!

* * *

Chapter 5 – Thank God It's Not From Ikea

_Slide part A into part B and connect part C to the second rivet of part B to obtain a new part now know as part ABC (Fig. 1)._

"Having fun?" Rose asked as she walked into the room, holding two cups of piping hot coffee, dropping down next to the Doctor into kneeling position and handing him one.

"Ha. Fun. Yes, I remember that," he said on a reminiscent voice, accepting the caffeinated coffee and taking a sip.

"Fun," Rory repeated, and Rose saw the Doctor had let him out and dressed him – and was now currently sitting infront of his father, playing under his abandoned coat.

"Can you make any sense of this?" the Doctor asked, handing her the instruction manual as his overcoat moved across the floor with a little bump known as Rory underneath.

"_Part BCD (Fig. 7) must be assembled before part CDE (Fig. 5) and must be further connected to part GHI (Fig. 8 and 3) to obtain part BCDGHI (Fig. 4 and 9) in accordance with NMOWERTHGFDFGHJ (Fig. 6), the lower section of the segment of FGHWEUNVDSHIPAL (Fig. 10)," _Rose read out loud, but even reading it sent her mind in swirls. She looked up and saw the Doctor had managed to build the base of the cot, feeling slightly guilty for forcing him to read this crap with his concussed head. "Then what the hell's _that _drawing of?"

"Part B…C…D…G…H…I…" Rory repeated, giggling and using all his might to pick up a random piece of wood and bum shuffle across the floor with it, dropping it onto another piece of wood. To begin with the Doctor got concerned the wood was too heavy for him and leant forward to pick Rory up, and then he realised…

"Blimey!" he yelled out, grabbing the instruction manual and holding it up, comparing the badly sketched diagram with what Rory was building. "That's exactly it! That's part ABC!"

"ABC!" Rory echoed. "ABCDGHI!"

"You're kiddin' me?" Rose asked, wide-eyed as she stared at her baby son dragging huge pieces of wood across the floor whilst reciting a muddled version of the alphabet.

"No, seriously, that's it!" the Doctor said in delight, holding out the instruction manual to Rory for him to see. "Build it Rory! C'mon son! Build it for me!"

Rory took a look at the instruction manual, staring at it in curiosity. He crawled forward towards his father, took the instruction manual into his hands and glanced it over for a few seconds, before shoving it into his mouth and chewing on it.

"Eww, no Rory…" the Doctor took the dripping wet instruction manual back out from Rory's mouth, grimacing as he peeled it apart. "Eww…baby slobber…"

"Maybe if we just read it out to him…?" Rose suggested. "Reckon he'd understand?"

"Ah, worth a try."

* * *

Less than an hour later, and the Nursery was finally complete. The Doctor stood back to admire his handiwork, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand. His coat and jacket had long since been discarded on the side, his shirt now untucked and his hair messy from trying to tug it to aid his thoughts so much.

The TARDIS had adjusted the walls to a very light blue coloured shimmer instead of the normal gold especially for the room, the metal rivets around the glowing walls now a bright blue to match perfectly with the shimmer. In the far left hand corner was the cot constructed in the majority by Rory, the little unpaid handyman as Rose liked to call him.

The TARDIS had let the Doctor lay a soft red carpet on the floor over the normal clear hard plastic floor, as it was seen as a much needed safety measure with Rory being as enthusiastic to walk as he was, despite being well far off ready.

All his toys were set out on the right side of the room, mountains of the stuff ready for when Rory was old enough to be let out of sight for a few hours. It was a very elaborate room, beautifully decorated and colour co-ordinating, you could easily see the amount of time and work that had gone into it, even at a glance.

"Wow! It looks incredible!" Rose complimented, appearing behind him in the doorway holding a giggling Rory in her arms. "I would sleep in here if I was fifteen years younger."

He grinned, folding his arms proudly. "Not bad, considering the only thing I've built in the past one hundred years is an acrylic keyring."

"Well, it looks amazin'." She got onto tiptoes and kissed him gently on the cheek, and his already jaw-splitting grin just got wider.

"I'm knackered," he declared, stretching widely as he started out the door. "Our bed is screaming my name." It was extremely surreal, saying 'our' instead of 'my', but it offered plenty of innuendo.

"I'll join you in a minute, just puttin' Rory to bed," she called back from the room he'd just left. This was _really_ going to take some getting used to.

But, he'd never actually been so happy in his lengthy and eventful life.

* * *

"I still don't understand why we can't go to an Earth R and R centre," Rose said as she flicked absently through an accommodation catalogue, sitting the Captain's chair with her feet propped up on the console. "I mean; if we keep our heads down you should be fine."

"Oh yeah, I'll just call ahead and book now…" the Doctor cleared his throat, mimicking a phone with his right hand and putting it to his ear as he leant casually against the TARDIS console. "Hello, I'd like to make a reservation please," he said in his normal voice, and then impersonated a high-pitched voice of a typical receptionist:

"Name?"

"The Doctor."

"…First name?"

"The. Doctor."

"…Age?"

"Nine hundred."

"(Hang up tone)"

Rose rolled her eyes, laughing at him as he took the hand-phone away from his ear and stared at it with mock affront.

"Fine, you win," she said, still smiling as she turned back to the catalogue. "But I'm not trustin' all these weird alien places. I mean, half of 'em probably still think bloodletting is the cure for everything."

"You have no faith in me!" he gasped, feigning shock. "How could you _offend _me like this?! I thought you loved me!"

"Oh you're pathetic!" She rolled up the catalogue loosely and smacked him lightly over the head with it. He immediately yelled, "OW!" in a loud voice and covered his head with his hands. "Concussion, Rose! CONCUSSION!"

"Where'd _you _recommend then, Flyboy?" Rose enquired in a sensuous voice, dropping the catalogue next to her on the seat.

He began to click his tongue, deep in thought. "Weeeeeell…there _was_ this one place I went, quite recently. They really helped me out. With my…" he trailed off, as if reliving a memory. "…They were good."

Rose didn't press on with his sudden failure in speech, detecting a soft spot. "Well, wanna go there then?"

He didn't answer for a moment, his eyes awash with memories. With an involuntary jerk he snapped out of it, spinning around to the console tapping buttons and pulling levers here, there, and everywhere.

* * *

"Have you ever checked in with us before?"

"Yeah – once."

"Can you give me your name?"

"The Doctor."

"Hold on one moment."

The small blue man with extremely long fingers Rose couldn't actually seem to take her eyes off of, tapped 'the doctor' noisily onto the space version of a computer and drummed the enter button. His one eye widened as he read the details supplied by the machine, glancing back and forth between the Doctor and the screen.

"You are a male Time Lord, confirm?"

"Confirm," the Time Lord replied cheerily, wondering what exactly he could have been pulled up on.

"You are on a high priority, to be taken to Mr. Hollins straight away upon return!"

"Oh, I am?" the Doctor asked meekly, peering nosily over the desk to the computer database and reading the file displayed on-screen. "So I am."

"Please, follow me." The curious lifeform beckoned them with its mesmerising hand through a small back door behind the desk, leading into an elaborate looking office with plenty of gadgets and paperwork distributed messily on desks, filing cabinets and even the floor. If Rose had to compare the room to any other, it would be Adam's office from Van Stratten's museum. Baskets were piled high with strange looking alien devices, though Rose couldn't tell if they were guns or just toasters – it all looked so alien.

A giant pink four-eyed lifeform with pale yellow stripes and a long snout - making him look as though he's just escaped from Fimbleland - was sat behind a large oak desk, piled high with paper in the spaces where his abandoned cups of coffee were not. As the three advanced, it immediately looked up, frowning.

"Yes Exxon?" he snapped, seemingly completely unaware of the Doctor and Rose's presence. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

Rose was quick to grab the Doctor's hand nervously.

"Sorry to interrupt you, sir. But this gentlemen just came through the door, and claimed he was 'the Doctor'."

The lifeform's demeanour changed freakishly instantly.

"Great Scot, Doctor! Is that really you? C'mere and give us a hug!"

Rose blinked as the Doctor burst into laughter, recognising the happy four-eyed Fimble and jogging forwards to give him a huge hug.

"You look amazing!" the Doctor complimented, stepping back to take a look at the Fimble, Mr. Hollins.

"So do you! How was the regeneration?"

"Pretty smooth compared to the last," the Doctor replied and Rose instantly rushed back to his side, slipping her hand into the Doctor's again with Rory sleeping in the crook of her other arm.

"Was I the only person in the Universe who didn't know about your bloody liability to regenerate?" she hissed quietly to him, but before he could get a chance to answer the Fimble started up again:

"Ooo, and I see you've found yourself that special someone!" he said with a smile, looking down at Rose with searching eyes – immediately making Rose self-conscious. "Glad you finally started taking my advice."

"Heh," the Doctor said, nervously scratching the back of his ear. "We're not _actually _married - this is Rose, my 'partner', and Rory, my son."

"Booboo," Rory put in as the Fimble raised a three-fingered hand and tickled Rory's chin.

"Aww, isn't he the cutest?" he cooed as Rory giggled.

"Takes after his father," Rose said and reached up a hand to tickle the Doctor's chin, but he just took it and kissed it gently with soft, tender lips.

The Fimble looked on at the two lovers joyfully, the smile so happy he was beginning to look like the Cheshire Cat with his stripes in a way no one else could.

"Thank you Rose, you've made him very happy," Fimble started, looking Rose straight in the eye. "Last time he came here he was a bit broken from his regeneration, and a whole lot of other problems too." He turned back to the Doctor, still smiling. "So, to what do I owe this joyous return, Doctor?"

Rose cut in, afraid the Doctor would reel off some garbage and deny he was seriously hurt to an old friend. "A couple of weeks, maybe a month or so ago we had an accident, and the Doctor was hurt badly…"

"Not _that _badly," the Doctor put in, but Rose just rolled her eyes, ignoring him.

"He couldn't actually speak or move properly…" she carried on, before being swiftly interrupted by him again.

"I could speak! …Sort of."

"Then he got given something he's allergic to, and it left him in a coma…"

"Haven't you ever heard of a long sleep?"

"We managed to resuscitate him, but it left him a bit of a vegetable, to be honest…"

"A carrot?" the Doctor proposed timidly, "I like carrots. Carrots are good. Full of…" Without dropping her smile, Rose casually drove a heel into his foot to shut him up. He yelped in pain, but all the same, stopped talking.

"We thought we were past all that, but then we got attacked and he came out with a concussion, which is now really hurting him. We were kind of hoping you'd be able to help him."

"Why, of course my dear. It's what we're here for. You sound like you haven't had too much of a lucky month, anyway. Exxon here will sort out your forms – Exxon, make sure these two get the King suite, please. We'll discuss payment when the Doctor is healthy and ready to leave."

"Yes sir," Exxon, the small blue man whom had led them in there replied in his squeaky voice, beckoning the Doctor and Rose back out into reception.

* * *

**A/N: **_Chapter 6 – Vibrating Bed_

"'_Ello." He beamed, dropping into the armchair indicated as Rose dropped into his lap. "Don't worry, I won't bite."_

"_That's not what you said last night…" Rose started loudly, and the Doctor gave her a quick nudge to shut her up. _

"_Hush, human woman!" he said in his best Spock voice, making Rose giggle – but she shut up all the same._


	6. Vibrating Bed

**A/N: **I deny that! Rory isn't cuter than his father O.O If you think that, I might have to rewrite Rory a little! (Hugs Doctor) Don't worry, I still think you're cuter :P

(Cough)

I'm getting into the story now. Apologies for mountain worth of fluffy cotton wools to begin to story :P

* * *

Chapter 6 – Vibrating Bed

They had both agreed Rory should be kept in the TARDIS safely under lock and key, as it was just too risky to leave him anywhere neither of them could be sure he'd be safe.

The Doctor had made the TARDIS doors so both he and Rose would have to utter their own secret command word and enter their keys in the lock to allow entry - so neither of them could get in without the other unlocking first. The TARDIS would look after Rory during the night and a majority of the day, depending on how the Doctor's first scan went and how his physiotherapy schedule was going to be set out.

His initial scan was scheduled for 9:00am the next morning, so Rose and the Doctor took the time until bed to explore a little around the complex.

"Swimmin' pool!" Rose yelled in delight, pointing down from the balcony to the sparkling water below where lots of lifeforms in various states of disrepair were trying to swim. "I packed some shorts in your trunk. We should do it later."

"That's another for the list. So, at the moment we're doing: the swimming pool, the merry-go-round, the arcade zone, the pub, the spa and the…err…"

"Vibrating bed," Rose completed, dreamily.

"Err yeah, that," the Doctor finished, his cheeks slightly flushing red.

"Wow, this is gonna be _so _awesome!" Rose yelled in delight, kissing him on the cheek.

And then she spotted the Ski Slope.

"Oh my GOD!" she screamed and grabbed the Doctor's arm, pelting across the grass with him stumbling behind.

* * *

"I want the left side," Rose said instantly, running into the King Suite appropriately named 'Seventh Heaven', throwing all her luggage onto the floor as she jumped up and landed spread eagled onto the King-sized double bed with a bounce. The Doctor followed her into the amazingly decorated room, following her lead and crashing down onto the bed next to her. 

"Have it. The right's more springy," he commented, getting onto his feet on the bed and bouncing up and down on it experimentally. "Wheee!" he yelled like a child who'd had too many E numbers, sending Rose who was still lying on the bed all over the place.

"Doctor!" she yelled and grabbed one of his legs, pulling herself up next to him and trying to calm him down. "Relax, would ya? You've got a scan in the mornin'!"

"So?" he asked, bouncing up and down again, this time taking Rose with him. "Boing! Boing! Boing!"

Rose couldn't helped but laugh, giving in to her inner child and bouncing up and down with him, waving her arms about madly.

"Wheee!" she shouted, almost falling onto him but he quickly steadied her, still laughing.

"Boing!" the Doctor yelled as he bounced.

"Boing!" Rose also yelled in sequence after him.

"Boing!"

"Boing!"

"Boing!"

"Boing!"

"Boing!"

"Boing!"

_Knock, knock._

In a blur of panic the two jumped off of the bed, the Doctor instantly leaning casually against the bottom poster of his side of the bed, straightening out his jacket before folding his arms casually. Rose jumped off her side with a thud, patting down her now wild hair but to no effect. She clasped her hands infront of her and looked innocently on at the door.

"Come in!" the Doctor answered in a singsong voice, and Exxon appeared at the door, looking a little sheepish. He immediately took in Rose's crazy hair, the Doctor's innocent smile and the messy bed – he put two and two together and got six.

"I'm s-sorry if I interrupted anything," he immediately squeaked guiltily. Rose let slip a giggle as the Doctor just continued to smile innocently at him. "But would you like to reserve a seat for breakfast tomorrow seeing as you'll be in your scan?"

The Doctor held his charismatic smile. "Sounds great. Let's say, 10:30am?"

"Yessir. Sorry sir. Ma'am. Sorry. Bye ma'am, sir, have a nice stay."

"I'm sure we will."

* * *

"Wish me luck," the Doctor said to Rose standing outside Scan Room Number Two. She smiled, standing up onto tiptoes to plant a gentle kiss on the lips. 

"I'm with you all the way – you don't _need _luck."

"Ah Rose Tyler, my Guardian Angel watching over me." He beamed brightly, resting a hand on the door handle and twisting. They both stepped through from the immaculate white corridor to practically another dimension – equipment bleeping and humming loudly, the walls made of stainless steel with a few X-Rays hanging on a light screen at the back of the room. A metal desk sat infront of them both, behind of which a blue figure much like the being in Reception was scribbling something frantically down on a piece of paper out of the Doctor's view. It looked up on their entry, dropping its pen.

"Hello," it said, in a voice dissimilar to Exxon's. "Take a seat please…" - it glanced down at the file open on its desk - "Doctor."

"'Ello." He beamed, dropping into the armchair indicated as Rose dropped into his lap. "Don't worry, I won't bite."

"That's not what you said last night…" Rose started loudly, and the Doctor gave her a quick nudge to shut her up.

"Hush, human woman!" he said in his best Spock voice, making Rose giggle – but she shut up all the same.

"First of all, I've got to warn you of a few things," the blue lifeform said, the deepness in its voice really making it sound alarmingly like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"Fire away."

"The scanner identifies external and internal damage by a system of lasers and energy beams, not enough to scald but it's a pretty painful process - so I'm going to have to sedate you. This initial session is probably going to take forty minutes to an hour, but future sessions will have a precise start and finish time, which will be posted to your room on a timetable some time after five hours from now."

"Why the wait?" Rose asked, her hand unconsciously tracing up the back of the Doctor's head to try and find his mark of concussion.

"Once we find out exactly what the damage is and to what extent, our highly acclaimed team of medical employees will take all variables into consideration and personally set out the fastest, most relaxing rehabilitation schedule possible. This will involve physiotherapy sessions, rest periods and when you can and can't eat."

"Sounds like school," Rose commented, finding the bump and tracing her fingers lightly over the swell. "Hang on, does this all include what happens at night?"

The lifeform shrugged. "A full nights rest is recommended, although it is not compulsory."

Rose smiled. "Nice."

"Well," the Doctor started, pushing Rose up before getting onto his feet, clapping his hands together and rubbing them. "You wanna get started, then?"

The lifeform reached into a tray with one needle in, already filled with a clear looking liquid as the Doctor took off his coat and jacket and threw them at Rose before pulling up his shirt sleeves.

The lifeform gestured for the Doctor to lay down on the sliding table that would take him into the scanner, to which he obliged. Rose was instantly by his side, suddenly extremely nervous.

"Rose, you can leave if you like, this is gonna take a while," he said quietly to her, but she just shook her head in a negative.

"Nuh-uh. I dunno 'bout you, but I really don't like the idea of leavin' you unconscious with a lifeform who sounds like the Terminator."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You watch too many films," he declared as the lifeform stepped forward towards them, raising the needle.

"Arm out please sir," it said, and the Doctor obediently held out his right arm with the shirtsleeve rolled up. The needle slid into his arm with delicate precision and the liquid filtered in, allowing a few seconds for the sedation to kick in before his eyes fluttered closed, his face relaxing into a content, even-faced expression.

"I don't normally have an audience, ma'am," the lifeform said meekly, tapping its fingers together like Mr. Burns whilst hatching an evil plot.

"Well, there's a first time for everythin'." Rose beamed, looking back down at her sleeping Doctor as the lifeform began to clamp him down into the restraints of the machine.

"No, really ma'am, I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave."

"No way. I'm stayin' with him."

Rose swore she saw a flash of anger wash through its eyes. It was only for a brief second, but it was there. Though it was so quick she could have just imagined it.

"I may have to call security," it said firmly.

"Whatcha gonna arrest me for?" Rose challenged, her mother's genes beginning to surface. "Lovin' someone?"

A pause.

"…Fine," the lifeform said, defeated. "You can stay."

* * *

**A/N: **Can't give you a preview...because I've not actually fully decided what's happening in it yet. Romance? Or straight into the drama? Romance? Drama? Romance? Drama? 

(That was a subtle hint to tell me :))


	7. Fluffy Fluff Fluffy Fluff!

**A/N: **Another bloody long chapter :P Sorry. A lot of romance. And the drama's there too...at least, this last line was very satisfying to write after so long. Plus, I made up all of this stuff with the Bad Wolf very, _very _late in the prequel...infact, the chapter I first mentioned it being the Bad Wolf was the chapter I made it up. Very convinient how everything slid into place, really...

* * *

Chapter 7 – Fluffy Fluff Fluffy Fluff!

The timetable was not what Rose had expected at all.

For starters, it had arrived in a giant box with a sequence of numbers drawn on the top in black marker pen, the box heavily padded and secured with tonnes upon tonnes of black gaffer tape. A bit like the wrapping on your gran's present to you at Christmas.

It took a while to get open, especially without the Sonic Screwdriver at their disposal. Inside were two sealed envelopes: one addressed to the Doctor, the other to Rose. However, in amongst the various pieces of polystyrene and foam, another surprise was waiting for them both. There was a bottle of small black pills with the Doctor's name on, the instruction 'Take two every night, orally with water' written on the side in messy handwriting.

The Doctor tentively opened the bottle, looking inside at the contents and sniffing them experimentally. Nothing. They were just black pills. Rose read up a little in the information books also in the package, which claimed 'a deposit of pills will be supplied if necessary', but nothing more. The Doctor took one as a test, but three hours later and he said he just felt drowsy – so he reasoned they were probably just sleeping pills and left them untouched on the bedside table.

The timetable was set out exactly like a school timetable, just slightly less demanding. From glancing over it, Rose could tell her Doctor was possibly going to be very trim, muscled, healthy and good at doing scans by the end of their stay. He had a scan at the end of every week to check on the progress of his rehabilitation schedule, to see whether it needed to be adjusted or not to his body's recuperation rate.

Rose wasn't wrong. By the end of the third week the Doctor was practically glowing his own hue of colour, his biceps now becoming rock hard – much to Rose's delight – and he'd even started going to bed later, at Rose's time, as he claimed he just wasn't tired anymore.

Even Rory was starting to notice the change in his dad too. Every day Rose and the Doctor went down to fetch him and Rory would point at his dad, giggle for a moment, and then declare, "mama like muscled dadda," in an innocent voice as Rose went as red as her name suggested.

By the end of the fifth week, he was feeling much better. His therapy councillor had predicted he would only need four more weeks or so until he could leave, perfectly healthy. His timetable had slackened, become less demanding and there was more time for relaxation – so the Doctor and Rose used that time to do everything they swore they would.

His cast had finally come off of his arm but a few days previously, so they were both a little more open to all the activities around the centre. The massaging had definitely been an experience, although relaxation techniques were part of the Doctor's rehabilitation schedule so he was pretty much used to it by then.

The skiing had been a disaster on every level; the Doctor had got his ski's muddled up at least three times and had almost fallen backwards at the ski lift – which would have no doubt caused a reverse downhill domino effect and a lot of unnecessary pain. Rose had twisted her ankle on the third run down after hitting a bump in the ice, and the Doctor had to do some fancy skiing to reach her, carry her in a fireman's lift as he carried on skiing down the rest of the hill and whisked her to the emergency room – something which was actually harder than it looked.

The ankle had cleared up by the end of the day, although neither of them had fancied returning to the ski slope and it was late enough to go to bed anyway – so they both turned in for the night.

* * *

The Doctor wasn't quite sure what woke him up, but the next thing he knew it was 1:00am, and Rose wasn't lying next to him. Unable to get back to sleep, he slid out of bed and pulled on a pair of trousers, a t-shirt and some trainers, heading out the door.

It didn't take long to find her. She was sitting at the edge of the swimming pool, her feet dangling into the crystal clear water. He smiled at the sight of her so deep in thought, staring into the water with a content expression. He quietly slipped off his trainers, depositing them next to her shoes as he sat down next to her and dipped his bare feet in the refreshing pool water.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked quietly, watching the reflection of Rose in the water shimmer and glow.

Her reflection nodded, looking away from him towards the brilliant view of Rapabastre, the planet on which the R and R centre was situated. In the distance the sea was shimmering, reflecting the stars from up above them. It was truly beautiful.

Rose suddenly lifted herself off of the side, easing gently down into the pool water, her white silk dressing gown spreading evenly across the water like an even cushion of lily pads. She waded through, the water getting less and less shallow as she progressed. Soon it was up past her diaphragm, and she stopped in the middle of the pool. The Doctor blinked. This was all still very new to him - actually loving a human woman and calling her his own. Was this some kind of human thing? Was he supposed to follow her in?

He let his hearts decide for him, as his mind just had too much common sense to make this kind of decision. He eased himself down into the water, following her lead and wading towards her. Being slightly taller than Rose, the water reached halfway between his navel and his ribs, making it easier to walk towards her through the drag of the water.

She was facing away from him towards the view, so he followed his instincts and folded his arms around her neck, kissing her on the back of the neck gently.

"You're gettin' good at this," Rose said as she turned back to him, her arms slipping around his neck and pulling him slightly towards her as his arms dropped to around her waist, beneath the water. "Time Lord's aren't so bad at love, y'know. You're better than most guys I know."

"I'm just making it up as I go along…" he admitted, lifting a hand out of the water and to her face, brushing back the hair from her face. She smiled.

"That's generally what you're supposed to do," she said, playing with the bottom of his hair at the back of his neck. "You don't plan love." She traced over the back of his head again, finding the now familiar bump and smiling.

"It's goin' down."

"I should hope so," the Doctor muttered, "I've been head massaged so many times now I think I have finger trail indents in my head."

Rose gave a snort of laughter, pulling him so close to her he could feel her warm and refreshing toothpaste smelling breath over the bottom of his face.

"Kiss me," she whispered seductively. He blinked. Okay, this was very, very new.

"Rose," he started, totally killing the moment. "We're standing in the middle of a pool."

She sighed, stepping back from him and letting her arms fall dejectedly to their sides. "No, you're supposed to say somethin' really sexy back that turns me on, and then we both snog and disappear under the water."

He paused. "…I thought you said you weren't supposed to plan love?"

Slowly and carefully with her face in a hard expression, Rose Tyler raised her right hand and gripped his shirt at the back of his neck firmly – the same place you would grip a puppy by the scruff of it's neck.

"Take a breath," she warned, and before he even had a chance to ask her why – she firmly pushed his head down below the water. His entire head was immersed as he waved his arms frantically, panicking slightly. She waited for ten seconds, absently humming a song from the Lion King before pulling him back up again, revealing a very wet looking Doctor, coughing wildly and gasping for air. She let go of his shirt, smiling casually like nothing had happened as she smiled innocently at him.

"D'you wanna go back to the part where I said 'Kiss me'?" she asked mildly, and the Doctor hastily nodded, brushing back the floppy wet hair out of his eyes as the coughing subsided. "Kiss me," Rose whispered again and he gave a lopsided grin as he reached up to the back of her neck, supporting her head in his right palm. He leant in closer, his left hand positioning itself on her waist delicately as their lips met.

Rose found it impossible to figure out how exactly he could be so good at kissing. Maybe he practised on his hand? Or even worse…a teddy bear?

But whatever the reason was, it was a hell of a long time before Rose managed to regain her senses enough to actually realise they were underneath the water. He was keeping her alive from the oxygen he was giving her in his kiss. She opened her eyes – something she'd never been able to do underwater before now – his eyes closed, face content and his hair waving out in the water making him look magnificently handsome in a ghostly way.

When they finally broke the surface of the water Rose gasped for air, falling back into the Doctor's arms as he grinned like a loon.

"Spontaneous enough for you?" he asked, looking down at the woman now lying in his arms. She nodded slightly, more focused on remembering how to breathe than what he was actually saying.

"Shower and bed?" the Doctor suggested, moving forward towards the pool steps.

"As long as you promise not to leave me by myself…"

He smiled. "No sense wasting the water supply on _two _showers, is there? We might as well wash two birds with one shower."

"I don't want to wash any birds…"

"Would you settle for me, then?"

Rose smiled, resting her head against his chest. "I don't think that would be too much of a problem."

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock!!!_

"Sir, sir! We need to take you for an immediate scan!" Someone yelled from outside the door, banging loudly on the wood as he roused rather clumsily from an already confusing dream. "Sir! Wake up!"

The Doctor opened his eyes and sat up, staring blearily at the doorway before he realised doors couldn't talk. He heard Rose groan something about bubbles from next to him and slip her arms back around his stomach, trying to drag him back down under the covers.

"We need to do an immediate scan, your life is at stake!"

"What're you talking about?" the Doctor asked, making to get up but Rose held him steady. "What about my life?"

"We've discovered your head injury may not be a concussion, but severe brain trauma!"

The Doctor paused to consider this, letting the ringing through his head take the decision for him. "Okay, gimme two seconds, I'll be right out."

"Thank you sir!"

He gave up his struggle against Rose and let himself be dragged back down to lying position, Rose immediately climbing onto him.

"I swear they just do all these scans for a hobby, y'know…" she started sleepily, pulling the cover back over the both of their heads as she laid hers between his shoulder and his head. The Doctor blew away her hair from his face, wrapping his arms around her to press her against him. "They never stop…"

"Sounds serious this time though," he countered. "Brain damage?"

"They're makin' it up, they just can't stand you bein' with me for ONE NIGHT!" she raised her voice at the last two words, making the Doctor laugh. "They just can't stand that you have a much more fulfilled sex life than they do."

The Doctor laughed again, before heaving a heavy sigh. "Better go then. He might start yelling in a minute."

Rose kissed his cheek gently before rolling off to allow him to get up. She was making to get up with him, but he shook his head and pushed her back down under the covers as he slid out of bed.

"I'll be thirty minutes maximum, you stay here and get some sleep."

"But…" Rose started in protest, glancing at the glowing digital clock on his bedside table. 4:37am. But the Doctor was already pulling on a pair of trousers before Rose could complete her protest.

"Stay! I'm sure I can survive for one night without my guardian angel to watch over me."

Rose still looked a little miffed, but all the same, gestured towards the drawer of shirts he had now pulled out, sliding over towards him to lay in his warmth on his side of the bed.

"Wear the black one. You look good in the black one."

"Yes, your highness," he said with a bow, drawing out the black one and throwing it onto the bed before taking out another white t-shirt and pulling it over his head.

"You are comin' back, right? I mean, whenever you usually go off on your own you're gone for the night - and most of the day, too."

The Doctor had finished tying up his shoes now, quickly grabbing the black shirt and sliding each arm up their respective sleeve. Not even bothering to do it up, he leant forward to Rose and kissed her forehead.

"I'll be back," he said in a deep robot voice, and then flew out the door, clicking it quietly shut behind him.

But he never did come back.

* * *

**A/N: ** _Chapter 8 – My Missing Time Lord_

_ Exxon immediately began to type 'the doctor' into his little computer database, fear making him slightly anxious about whether the computer was going to choose to crash at this precise moment in time or not._

_ He looked surprised._

_ "He doesn't exist."_


	8. My Missing Time Lord

**A/N: **Okay, that last chapter was mean. Plus the alerting service is down yet _again_ so I'm just posting whenever I get the reviews to be honest, lol. So I wuv all of you who reviewed! (Dances about) Everyone else who didn't...feel guilty. (Grits teeth and growls)

* * *

Chapter 8 – My Missing Time Lord

It was 9:00am exactly before Rose got bored of waiting.

She felt completely rejuvenated after her and the Doctor's previous night together, if not slightly wandering where he was. Maybe they'd just kept him in after his scan for his physiotherapy session? She knew he had one early that morning. It would probably be finished before breakfast was over, and he'd most likely be hungry.

11:00am, and he still hadn't appeared.

Breakfast finished at 10:30am, so she'd managed to sneak out a few pieces of toast to keep him going until lunch at 1:00pm.

1:00pm.

No Doctor.

Truly worried now, she began to think hard. Would he have gone back to their bedroom to sleep off the sedation? She reasoned this out to be most likely, so she skipped lunch in favour of walking back to their bedroom.

She opened the door, and found nothing.

She bit her lip, jogging over to the bed in the hopes of finding a note, but it was pristine and spotless from when the cleaners had come in that morning. Confused, she was about to go out the door and check the physiotherapy room, when she noticed something.

His trenchcoat was gone from the chair he'd discarded it onto last night.

Her heart raced. What? This wasn't right. Had he just left without saying?

She checked the drawers in which his clothes had occupied before, but to her horror – nothing was in there.

What was going _on_ here?!

* * *

Reception was deserted, bar Exxon the small blue man operating the computer behind the desk as per usual. 

Rose marched straight up to the desk like a woman on the warpath, slamming her fist down onto the wood and making Exxon jump in surprise.

"Y-Y-Yes Ma'am, w-what can I do for you?" he stuttered out, terrified.

"I wanna know what the _hell _you've done with my boyfriend!"

"S-Sorry ma'am?"

"What did you do with him?! Why's all his stuff gone?! I DEMAND TO KNOW WHERE HE IS RIGHT NOW!!!" she screamed, almost in tears of rage.

"W-What's his n-name?" he stuttered out again. It was apparent he'd possibly never been addressed like this before.

"The Doctor," she replied in a levelled voice, managing to calm herself down a bit.

Exxon immediately began to type 'the doctor' into his little computer database, fear making him slightly anxious about whether the computer was going to choose to crash at this precise moment in time or not.

He looked surprised.

"He doesn't exist."

Rose blinked, startled. "…I'm sorry?"

Exxon gestured at the screen of the computer, and Rose leant forward to take a look at the database.

'**No records found.'**

Rose blinked again. "What?"

"There's no record of 'the Doctor' ever being here. Is it possible you got his name wrong? Does he go by any other name?"

"…This isn't…it's not…what the hell?! If this is some kind of sick, twisted joke, you'd better _bloody _stop now because I ain't findin' this funny!"

"No joke, ma'am. I'm sorry; the Doctor doesn't exist. What's your name? Perhaps we'd better get you back to the ward you were just in…"

"Are you sayin' I'm crazy?" Rose demanded, slamming her fist back on the table for a second time, sending pens everywhere. "You saw him! You spoke to him! You booked us in!"

Exxon looked scared. "I'm sorry ma'am, I don't remember."

"But…you took us…Mr. Hollins! Where's Mr. Hollins? I demand to see him, now!"

"I'm sorry, he's on a business trip and won't be back for some time. What is your name?"

Rose staggered backwards, her face a mixture of horror and shock. He'd just…disappeared? And the manager too? What the hell was going on? Had the receptionist's memory been wiped? Why hadn't hers? Where had the Doctor gone? Who took him? Was he safe? A million and one questions flew through her head, but no one was on hand to answer her.

"I…I have to go," she blurted out, ignoring the receptionist as he called after her, tearing it to their room. She would grab her things and go back to the TARDIS. Maybe the Doctor was there. It was a last resort, but it was her last hope. Something seriously wasn't right, and perhaps they were _all _in danger.

But when she got back to the TARDIS, she found no Doctor waiting to greet her. The door was half unlocked, obviously the Doctor had been here and done his unlocking, but hadn't been able to get inside. She uttered her command word and unlocked the door, hands trembling. There the TARDIS console was, standing alive and proud in a whirl of beeps, clicks and the smooth, ever present humming providing backing vocals for such a bizarre choir.

Like nothing was wrong.

She checked on Rory, and even he was burbling and giggling like he normally did, managing to say, "mama!" as she lifted him up and kissed his forehead.

She just didn't know what was going on.

She put Rory back to bed and traipsed through the TARDIS, deep in thought. Her feet were taking her where they liked, but she did need a walk to calm herself down.

Perhaps she hadn't checked one place?

But no. It was impossible. She had checked everywhere, and he had been _nowhere. _But this was totally stupid…it was like someone had tried to erase him from existence, and hadn't done a very good job of it. For a start she could still remember him, plus the TARDIS was still here.

As she snapped out of her thought trail back to the real world, she realised that her feet had taken her straight to his bedroom. No, hang on. _Their _bedroom.

She let a tear go as she stepped further in, within reaching distance of the bed cover. She picked it up and held it to her chest, burying her head into it and using it to wipe her tears dry. It still smelt of him new him and old him. She couldn't smell any other scents – she had unconsciously been searching for the scent of his other bodies, but then realised he must change the cover every so often. Or she was sleeping in a nine hundred year old duvet every night. Eww.

"Oh Doctor," she whispered to the ceiling, still rocking to and fro with his cover. "Where are you?"

* * *

**A/N:** _Chapter 9 – Has This Author Gone Gothic?_

_But, as he had said – she'd refused to put the Time Vortex back. If she just put it back straight away this time, there would be no need for loads of complications. She'd just absorb the Time Vortex, go get him, bring him back into the TARDIS and zoom off straight away again. Happy, happy, happy._

_Mind set, Rose Tyler extended out her arm to the console, ready to lift it open – when a sudden, extremely familiar voice from behind her interrupted her movements._

"_Hello, Rose."_


	9. Has This Author Gone Gothic?

**A/N: **JForward, 'tis for YOU ya year 11 grammar capable student :D

I'll admit, that preview was a little mean. You'll see why at the end. Plus, I can't give you a preview of the next chapter either without giving absolutely everything away...

* * *

Chapter 9 – Has This Author Gone Gothic?

_The Doctor casually tapped at the rusted controls of the TARDIS, humming a long forgotten Gallifreyian song as he worked. For so long he had lain in torment for his dead companion, but now he might even get his baby boy back._

_He looked like he'd just escaped from an asylum too. He needed a haircut, as it now just stuck out at erratic angles and was practically unmanageable. There were red rings around his eyes from where he'd made himself ill, crying and neglecting his own well being in favour of his grief. He was under fed, thin, weak and chronically ill, traces of heavy burns apparent on his arms, legs and chest with prominent scald marks - but today he was wearing a smile._

"_Rory!" he called out loud, knowing the boy wouldn't have strolled far from the TARDIS centre in his current state. "C'mere!"_

_A ruffled teenage boy appeared almost robotically in the doorway to the TARDIS corridor, looking perfectly healthy apart from the fact his skin was constantly paper white as if he'd just seen a ghost. He was tall, hair a colour between blond and brown - he probably would have been a girl magnet but for his current condition._

_He was in shock._

_It was a year ago now, but the memory of it still haunted the Doctor and his son like someone was punishing the both of them for the tragedy that could have easily been prevented._

_She had burnt. _

_Rory had been forced to watch his mum screaming in agony as the flames consumed her, his dad bounding into the searing heat to try and save her but by the time he had reached her, she was well and truly dead._

_The memory of her death had been imprinted into Rory's eyes, held helpless in the grip of his captor's arms as he watched his and dad's screams for his dead lover, his dad not even caring for the flames licking up all around him._

_Then they'd let him go._

_They'd forced him to watch his parents' torment, and then had just…let him go. That was torture in itself. He was in shock. He could see nothing but her, screaming out for his dad to come and save them – but he was way, way too late. Seconds after his dad's scream of utter anguish had echoed around the burning room, they'd turned off the fire; leaving nothing but his severely burnt father screaming and crying for both the pain of his skin, and his hearts._

_And now the boy was empty._

_His once flowing personality, the one which reflected his fathers own unique attributes was now gone…and all that was left was a thin young Time Lord boy. Dead inside. Inside he hated his father, hated him for not being quick enough to save her, hated him right down to the bone. But he couldn't say the words. He couldn't speak at all. Not since that night._

_Rory had changed that night. _

_And now he knew his father hated him._

_He hated him for so many things. He blamed him for that night. He said he could have stopped it. He said everything had changed the day they'd had him. He said he'd only brought destruction to his parents' love. He said he'd wished he'd never been born. He said he'd wanted a girl instead. He said he was useless. He said he could never live up to his father's standard. He said he was pathetic. He said he was a nothing._

_His father had changed that night._

_He was becoming thinner, paler, angrier, iller – he'd been fainting, getting headaches that had steadily got worse and worse and throwing up blood constantly. Rory could feel his father's regenerative energy getting louder and louder. He was dying…and his son couldn't care less._

_The both of them had changed that night._

"_Stay out of here tonight," the Doctor was saying. "I've got a way I can finally get rid of you. Just get out my sight."_

_Rory was only too happy to oblige as he turned and headed back to his room. Inside he cursed his father, cursed him for the man he had become. He resented him, so much._

_Everything had changed that night._

* * *

Everything had changed that night.

Rose Tyler had been sat staring at the TARDIS console for quite a while now, wishing, hoping and waiting that at any moment he would wander through the door, apologise for being late and immediately start into a babble about train times and fly instantly into an anecdote containing him and Santa Claus.

But she didn't even know how to operate the TARDIS. If she did, she'd be immediately off around the universe searching every inch for him. But now Rory was sat bouncing up and down in her lap, sucking on his thumb and looking up at his mother with his golden eyes adorably.

"Dadda?" he asked.

The word broke her heart. "He's not here, Rory."

"Dadda?" he asked again, quieter.

"I don't know where he is."

Rory went quiet at her words, stopped bouncing up and down and just stared at the floor miserably. Rose looked down at their son, suddenly overcome by it all. This was stupid. He couldn't have just disappeared like that. She'd left it three days. Maybe he'd find a way back and to the TARDIS.

She blinked back tears, raising her hand with the bio-damper on and staring profusely at the ring. She slipped off the ring; setting it down on the console next to the broken Sonic Screwdriver he had left there after the shopping trip. He never _did _fix it.

She stared at the Sonic Screwdriver, finally letting a tear slipped unchecked down her cheek. She felt Rory's little hand reach up to her face, brushing away the tear and huddling closer to his mum, without a word.

She started to get that sick feeling in the pit of her stomach again – something she'd put down to worry. Was this it? Was this the Bad Wolf moment? Was she supposed to absorb the Time Vortex and rush off to retrieve him?

She lifted Rory off of her lap and onto the chair as she rose to her feet, stepping tentively towards the console.

The Doctor had said the console was loose now, which meant with a bit of determination she could probably shift the flap to access the heart of the TARDIS within. Once she had the heart of the TARDIS she would know where the Doctor was, program the TARDIS to fetch him and just neatly put the Time Vortex back.

It was at Christmas the Doctor had told her everything that had happened that night. On Christmas day in the evening they'd sat down together infront of the fire with Jackie and Mickey, and had gone through everything. As he had spoken of how she had refused to put the Time Vortex back, and how he'd had to take it from her in order to save her life - she had cried. It was at that point she knew she had caused his regeneration and she had realised how much she'd hurt him over the past few days.

It was the point when she had fallen in love with him again.

But, as he had said – she'd refused to put the Time Vortex back. If she just put it back straight away this time, there would be no need for loads of complications. She'd just absorb the Time Vortex, go get him, bring him back into the TARDIS and zoom off straight away again. Happy, happy, happy.

Mind set, Rose Tyler extended out her arm to the console, ready to lift it open – when a sudden, extremely familiar voice from behind her interrupted her movements.

"_Hello, Rose."_


	10. Prison Of Reasonable Comfort

**A/N: **Help me. I watch the first two Pokemon movies yesterday, and now I'm currently aquiring the first series. I used to love Pokemon! Anyone ever get the trading cards? My brother did, so I know most of the Pokemon now. Rapidash looks awesome, and nine tails is cute - though they could never beat Pikachu.

Aaaaanyway, NEW SERIES OF DOCTOR WHO YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY C'MON BRING IT OOOOOOOOON!!!!

23 days...

And...watch out for Comic Relief, David looks majorly cute as a teacher. Wow, if he was my teacher, I'd be like 'GIVE ME A DETENTION SIR!' ...(Cough)

* * *

Chapter 10 – The Prison Of Reasonable Comfort

The Doctor wasn't having a very good day.

If he had to rate the all time top one hundred best days of his life, this would definitely _not _be one of them. Even his fourth regeneration with the giant pylon was probably a better day in itself than today.

Okay, so the start of the day had been good, with the whole liaison-in-the-bedroom thing with Rose, but since then, things had taken a dramatic U-turn. _Dramatic._

He'd been sedated, had dragged himself half-conscious to the TARDIS and unlocked it ready for Rose to access, passed out, been taken to god only knows where and now had a splitting headache, stomach aching with hunger and several people yelling out his name.

And when people yelled out his name, trouble usually followed.

Someone had a hand held to the back of his head, feeling over his skull for any sign of injury. They found the bump of concussion, and there was another murmur of his name. He groaned, shifting slightly in his drug-induced sleep, only to hear the rattle of chains along a wooden floor.

"Great…" he muttered, opening his eyes to the light. Immediately he was struck by surprise at the two people he'd never have expected to be joined by faced him, both looking concerned.

"Mr. Hollins?" he asked, blinking in surprise. "Y…You!" he looked at the second person in the room, long wavy brown hair…forest floor eyes…four arms…

He then realised, rather guiltily, he'd never even asked her name.

"I'm sorry, I never even asked what your name was," he said – and it was completely random seeing as he was currently lying on the floor in chains, with her holding his head and Hollins looking on in surprise.

"Karida," she replied, smiling at his total ignorance of the current situation.

"Karida – I'll remember that." He pushed himself up off the floor as best he could to sit against the wall, glancing around at his surroundings with slightly unfocused eyes. It was actually a pretty posh cell, polished wooden floor and immaculate painted white walls – even the chains that held together his hands and feet were gleaming silver.

The door was stainless steel, big and formidable looking with a round glass observing window set in the middle. He appeared to be the only one restrained with chains, which he thought was a little unfair.

"Well, this appears to be a bit of pickle, doesn't it?" he said after a moment of silence, and Karida and Hollins gave a snort of laughter.

"D'you remember how you got here?" Karida asked him after the moment had passed.

"I was in your place Hollins, sleeping. Then this guy came along and woke me up, telling me I had brain trauma or something." He shrugged. "After I was down in the scanning room, he gave me the sedate and then just started to laugh. I realised what had happened and escaped the room, and ran as fast as I could to the TARDIS – I unlocked it for Rose so she could get in to our son…and then I woke up here."

"They threw you in here a couple of hours ago, said if we tried anything they'd kill us all."

"Well, that's a lie," the Doctor started loudly, hoping someone outside could hear him. "If someone wanted me dead, they'd have done it already!"

The Doctor lifted himself on his feet, scratching his head in contemplation and looking around the room. It seemed like a pretty comfortable prison, in all fairness. He moved over to the door and peeked through the porthole to the outside, clicking his tongue - all that was outside facing him was another door, exactly the same as he was looking out of.

"It's some sort of prison – there are lots of cells here," the Doctor said, more to himself than the others but he was sure they'd be glad of some reassurance. "But the question _is…" _he carried on, turning back around and scanning the room again. "Who?"

Everyone stayed silent as the Doctor mulled it over, his mighty brain accessing every single species in the Universe he so far knew of.

He clicked his fingers as the solution reached him, although it was blatantly obvious to start with. "Darkeese."

He walked over to the wall, rapping lightly with his knuckles on the panels with his ear to the wood expertly.

"The Darkeese catch their victims and put them in holding cells until the customer arrives to pick up their order," the Doctor explained to the other two as he carried on tapping. "In extreme circumstances they also take people who have met the victim recently and appear close to them, possibly using them as bait…" He stopped, a switch suddenly clicking on in his brain as he heeded his own words. "…I'm sorry," he muttered turning around to face them both. "I brought you here."

Karida however, seemed to be totally unconcerned for her current predicament. "What about Rose? Shouldn't Rose be here to?"

"…They wouldn't take Rose if they didn't have Rory," he said after a pause. "If they took both parents then the baby would die. And that's the last thing they want. The only time they'd take Rose was if they had Rory too."

It suddenly hit him.

"…I knew escaping that Scan Room was too easy," he started in a soft voice, head hung low. "They let me escape. They let me escape and run to the TARDIS to unlock it. They let me unlock it so Rose could get in. And those pills. Those pills they gave me were trying to make me worse. They had minute traces of penicillin in – two a day would have made me a medical emergency by the end of the week."

There was another pause as all of this sunk in, before Fimble finally spoke up:

"Well, under the circumstances Doctor, I won't be charging for your stay."

The Doctor gave a snort of laughter, before stepping back from the wall with a sigh of defeat. "Doesn't matter. Didn't have the money, anyway."

"As I recall Doctor, you didn't have the money last time either."

"Like I said…" He waved an uncaring hand. "Put it on the tab."

Fimble chuckled softly, shaking his head in vague amusement. "If only you had one, Doctor."

"That would be convenient, wouldn't it?" he started brightly. "If I had a tab for everywhere I went, I need never pay ever again!"

"Wasn't aware you normally paid Doctor…"

The Doctor pretended to look hurt. "Hey! Those chips weren't free y'know. And as a matter of fact, I went shopping about a month ago, and it was _entirely _legal."

"What did you buy?"

"Lots of stuff for my son…and I also got this…err…thing…err…" he trailed off, suddenly blushing a little red as he dropped cross-legged onto the floor, shuffling back to lean against the wall. He didn't carry on.

Karida smiled, looking for a change of subject the Doctor so desperately needed, sitting down next to him on the floor and looking him up and down. "You're looking a lot better since we last met."

He smiled in gratitude, though kept his mouth shut – not trusting what was going to come out of it. He lifted his hands and rested the two foot long chains holding them together around the back of his neck, letting his wrists dangle freely.

"So…" he started, closing his eyes and resting his head back against the wall. "We just…wait. Until the customer comes to pick up his goods."

Karida swallowed, staring at the Doctor as she realised who they were coming to take. "…You."

* * *

_Chapter 11 – My Missing Underpants_

_The Doctor smiled, weakly. "I'm the last one. I survived. Not by choice." Pause. "…There's a human woman and the half-human baby…they're the only thing I have left, apart from my home. Literally. I desperately need to know something. Please. Are they here or not? That's all I want to know."_

_Slowly, it shook its head. "They're not here," it said, truthfully._


	11. My Missing Underpants

**A/N: **I am NOT dancing around listening to S Club 7, all right?

Lol, you're all bound to be a little confused right now unless you can read my mind. Don't worry - it'll all become crystal clear reeeeal soon.

22 days...

* * *

Chapter 11 – My Missing Underpants

The Doctor must have slipped into sleep a little time after this, as the first thing he heard was some clicking, rattling, followed by the sound of metal on metal and a loud creaking. He opened his eyes, surprised to find Karida resting her head in lap, sleeping peacefully. Fimble was sleeping too, so the Doctor cast an eye over to the door, where a grey lifeform wielded what look like a particle gun in its holster – in its hands it carried a tray of bizarre looking pieces of food and drinks. Suddenly the Doctor became aware of exactly how hungry he was.

The lifeform set the tray down in the middle of the room, before turning around immediately to leave. But the Doctor called out to it, making it stop in its tracks:

"Hello. You okay?"

The lifeform seemed nervous. "I…I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to talk to the prisoners." He made to leave again.

"Do you have any family?" he persisted.

"Sir, I…"

"Just, interested in who you are," the Doctor said innocently. "What's your name?"

"…Akron," the lifeform finally replied, and the Doctor grinned.

"You got any family?"

"Yes…well no, not any more," the lifeform seemed to be opening up a little. "My parents died in the War with my two brothers. I look after my two little sisters now."

"How old are your sisters?"

"Eleven and two, sir."

"What planet do you come from?"

The lifeform suddenly shook its head, getting ready to walk to the door again. "Sir, I really must be going…"

"Please," the Doctor said softly, and the lifeform seemed to give way.

"Apex, sir."

"Ah, you're a Pexian," the Doctor said in apprehension, his eyes widening as he realised. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

The Pexian swallowed. "Not your fault."

The Doctor sighed a hefty sigh. "…We couldn't save your planet, I'm so sorry. The Daleks entered the Dead Zone and by the time we found you we were too late."

The Pexian's eyes widened. "You're…you're a Time Lord?" The Doctor gave a sharp nod. "I…I thought you were all extinct?"

The Doctor smiled, weakly. "I'm the last one. I survived. Not by choice." Pause. "…There's a human woman and the half-human baby…they're the only thing I have left, apart from my home. Literally. I desperately need to know something. Please. Are they here or not? That's all I want to know."

Slowly, it shook its head. "They're not here," it said, truthfully.

The Doctor smiled. "Thank you," he said, and the lifeform bowed courteously to him, before heading out the door.

"Karida," he said softly to the woman sleeping on his lap. "We've got food."

"Food?" she asked sleepily, raising her head and seeing the tray of food set in the middle of the floor. Within an instant she had woken up fully, diving forward to the tray and instantly grabbing a plate on which a small, pretty decent meal was prepared - Hollins not far behind her.

Then they noticed what the Doctor had known all along.

There was only enough for two people.

Hollins and Karida nervously glanced between each other, and then at the Doctor. He just shrugged with a smile, gesturing at them both.

"You two can have it. I'm not hungry anyway," he said as he felt his insides start to ache with hunger. They both looked a little hesitant, but the Doctor insisted. "I can go a little longer without food," he lied. "Eat up."

* * *

"_Hello, Rose."_

Rose swirled around, temporarily forgetting her actions and instead coming face to face with the Doctor, flickering in and out of existence with binary code running up and down him. He really needed to upgrade his hologram simulator.

She sighed despairingly; letting her hands drop limply to her sides, realising it was another of his stupid emergency programs she now dreaded so much.

"_This is emergency program…one…hundred…two…three hundred and forty something…well, I can't actually remember which one it is, but it's an emergency program," _the new body of the Doctor said, completely killing the seriousness of the situation as Rose couldn't help but giggle at him._ "Basically, this simulation has been triggered by the fact the TARDIS has detected you and Rory have been in the TARDIS for three days alone – and I'm not there. Either I'm being held prisoner, I'm dead, or I'm hungover. I'm seriously hoping it's not the latter – or what the TARDIS is about to do next is really going to piss me off. I'm sending you back to Earth."_

Rose rolled her eyes, sighing loudly. "Oh you utter wanker."

"_Now, that's not nice," _his simulation tutted, waving a finger. _"Trust me, there are a LOT of emergency programmes and I swear sending you home is not the solution to everything. For instance: I have an emergency programme for me, telling me to check whether I've got my underwear on or not. I'll admit, it's not frequently used, but I AM nine hundred years old, y'know. I tend to get a little forgetful."_

The hologram shrugged. _"So, just move on, look after Rory and have a fantastic life, all right? I don't think the Universe wants us to be together. It's just fate. I'll find a way back if I can. But I can't let you and Rory get hurt," _he finished, before adding meekly,_ "stupid human emotions."_

And it terminated.

Rose just stood silent in the eerie glow of the TARDIS for a moment, before it suddenly lurched into wild electronic life. Rose quickly scooped up Rory and held him tight as the TARDIS heaved about erratically, almost making Rose fall over.

As it suddenly came to rest, Rose cried out in fury. He'd done it. He'd actually _done _it. He'd just ruined her life _again. _When she saw him again she was going to give him a good slap.

She sprinted over to the double blue doors, wrenching them open wide and stepping out onto the concrete floor of the Powell Estate. It was a normal, bright, summer's day in mid July – and Rose would have been fooled that it was a _perfect _summer's day, but for the three rather large big black shadows currently surrounding her, all wielding lethal looking shiny silver coloured guns pointing straight at her chest.

"Hi!" Rory said brightly.

* * *

**A/N: **Can't give you a chapter preview...because I'd be lying if I said I'd finished it. Or named it. I've been concentrating more on later chapters recently... (Slaps hand) Bad Laura. Bad BAD Laura. But c'mon, I just wrote a really emotional scene, so can I be blame for taking a little break? 


	12. SedateTheDoctor Week

**A/N: **I shall reply to all your reviews next chapter...because if you haven't been concentrating, you might be a little confused. But don't worry - for those who don't understand, a full Doctor explanation shall be supplied if asked for :)

And penguins shalt be updated RIGHT after I watch this episode and finish the chapter...

And YAY!! I WON THE PRIZE FOR MOST RANDOM CHAPTER TITLES!!! WOOOO!!!

* * *

Chapter 12 – Sedate-The-Doctor Week

The formidable door creaked open again, and the Doctor pulled himself to his feet weakly, lack of food driving him to do anything to get out of here. Immediately he met two Darkeese standing staring at him emotionlessly, and he bravely stepped forward in confrontation.

"Come to uncuff me yet?" He raised his shackled wrists for them to see. "They're kinda tight."

"Silence!" the first Darkeese hissed, unexpectedly launching forward, arms raised. It pushed the Doctor backwards, pinning him to the wall by his shoulders with a smash.

"Hey! I want him in one piece, y'hear?" someone suddenly asked from the doorway in a deep, robot like processed voice, and the Doctor was alarmed to see a hooded figure with every single inch of its skin covered advance towards him, raising a preventing gloved hand. "Else I'm not fucking paying you."

"Bad Wolf?" the Doctor whispered, audible to only the two other prisoners in the cell.

The Darkeese made a threatening throat noise at the Doctor as if it would like nothing more than to rip his head off, but was not allowed to do so. The hooded figure stepped forward next to the Darkeese and stared at the Doctor through a fear-inducing black mask, only its bloodshot eyes showing through small holes in the mask.

"You haven't been feeding him," the figure said suddenly, turning to the Darkeese standing behind the one currently holding the Doctor against the wall. "This isn't what I paid you for. I said I wanted him as healthy as possible. How long has it been since he got taken?"

"…Three days, sir," the Darkeese replied nervously. "We kept him in stasis for two days then moved him to the Holding Cells. But I swear; we sent some stuff earlier this morning. Mountains of it. He should have had that if he wanted any."

The figure seemed to heave a sigh. "Don't give me this crap. I know for a fact he gave it to his friends here because there was hardly enough food on that tray to feed an ant. You have not followed my instructions. I shall not be paying you as much as maybe you previously anticipated."

"Sir, I'm sure we can sort something out…"

"No," the hooded figure interrupted rudely, "I gave you specific instructions. I asked you to make him as comfortable as possible but restrained, but instead you starve him to death. What kind of service is this?"

"A non-catering one?" the Doctor put in mildly, prompting a small snigger from the hooded figure.

"I'd forgotten how funny you could be," it said, those horrible bloodshot veiny eyes staring straight at him for a moment, before it turned, waving an absent hand to the Darkeese. "C'mon. Bring him to my ship, and maybe I'll reconsider that payment.

"Wait…" the Doctor made to move out of the Darkeese's grip, but it just slammed him hard back against the wall again. It pulled him off of the wall, spinning him around and slamming him back against it, so he was facing into it. The Doctor looked over his shoulder to watch it. It seemed to smile at him, and the Doctor watched it turn to face the Darkeese behind it.

The Doctor quickly took the opportunity to slip the bio-damper off of his finger, tossing it gently over to Karida who caught it in surprise.

'_Give it to Rose if you see her,' _he mouthed silently. _'Tell her I love her.'_

He glanced back over his shoulder again – only to come face to face with the Darkeese holding him, brandishing yet _another_ damn needle. What was this? Sedate-The-Doctor Week? 'Oh yes, haven't you heard about? It's the one week of the year where we get to stab the Doctor with needles all we like!'

He felt something thin and cold slide into the back of his neck - seconds later, the world went black.

* * *

It was at times like this Rose Tyler wished the Doctor were on hand to help her talk her way out of this. She had Rory, yes; he would probably be very much like his dad in the rambling respect once he learnt a bit more vocabulary to ramble with. So she was currently walking through some kind of prison holding her now sleeping son (Blimey, he chose weird times to sleep) wondering where in the Universe she was and what the hell was going to happen to her now. 

So she _was _quite surprised when they pushed her into a cell with two thankfully familiar faces.

"Hollins!" she said immediately, before seeing Karida. "And…you!"

"It's Karida," the woman explained for her, recalling her conversation with the Doctor but a day previously. Rose beamed.

"What are you doin' here?" she asked, confused, sitting carefully down on the floor so as not to wake Rory.

"Your husband, that's what," she replied, feigning rolling her eyes.

"We're not married…" Rose interjected, pointlessly, "I'm just the one givin' birth to the fruit of his loins." She gestured down at Rory, who was still sleeping peacefully. "Shame he doesn't sleep as much as the fruit, though."

"Oh, I know what you mean," Karida smiled. Rose grinned back, looking over at Fimble who was backed into a corner in a strict 'Mixed Company' mood.

"Oh…" Karida started carefully, slipping her hand into her pocket and withdrawing something small, golden and round.

Rose blinked. "Oh, please don't make that…"

"…He was here," she confirmed, leaning forward to give Rose the bio-damper the Doctor had given to her. "He told me to give you this, and to tell you he loves you."

She held the bio-damper in her hand tightly, remembering her own bio-damper was currently residing in the drawer of the TARDIS next to his broken Sonic Screwdriver. The TARDIS. What had happened to the TARDIS? Was it still in the Powell Estate? Had the Darkeese taken it with her?

"Something came and took him…" Karida was saying, solemnly. "It was this like big black hooded figure…it had a kind of robot voice and a bit of an attitude."

"Bad Wolf?" Rose asked without thinking. Karida looked puzzled.

"It's funny you should say that – because that's exactly what the Doctor said too."

* * *

**A/N: **_Chapter 13 – You're Not Confused Yet, Are You?_

"_Bad Wolf," he said simply. The black figure seemed to find this funny as its footsteps got closer towards him._

"_Thought that might grab your attention," it said, and the Doctor finally looked up, jaw agape as the black figure slowly started to slip off its cloak._


	13. You’re Not Confused Yet, Are You?

**A/N: ** This will test whether you've been doing ya homework on both this one and the prequel. But err...hopefully not too much. Because I think there's a flaw somewhere, since I made it all up WAY after I starting writing about the Darkeese and stuff. Oh yes. I remember the flaw. LIKE I would tell you! Anyway, I've made up a lie for it. Ah ha ha, you will NEVER spot it!

* * *

Chapter 13 – You're Not Confused Yet, Are You?

"I thought I told you to stay out of the way?" the Doctor said to his teenage son as he walked in through the TARDIS doors, not kindly. Rory didn't say anything. The Doctor sighed impatiently, rolling his eyes. "I can't even have a conversation with you, you little squirt. Do you even have a brain in there anymore? Or did it get eaten away along with your voice box?"

Rory internally sighed. _Die. _He thought in his head, wishing and hoping the words would come out. _Just die and bring my dad back with you._

But they didn't come. Despair filling him, Rory turned around and started heading back to his bedroom before something else suddenly stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Where'd you want him?"

Rory turned back around, eyes widening at the person he could see lying unconscious in the arms of a large black figure, hands and feet chained in iron.

His dad.

"Chain him to the metal railing over there," his first father said, the purpose of the black outfit with equally as stupid vocoder of which Rory had first thought to be a pathetic fashion statement now becoming apparent. But there was a huge difference between this new Doctor and Rory's true father – the fact that this one looked a lot, lot healthier. He looked even better than his father had _before _that night. He looked trim and muscled, with a colourful complexion and as he slept now, he looked entirely at peace.

The Darkeese obliged, wrapping the chains twice around the railing and recuffing him at his wrists. What the hell was his father doing now? Who was this guy?

He didn't watch his true father thumbing through money notes for the Darkeese, but instead he stared unblinkingly at the man lying on the floor, dead to the world. He cautiously stepped towards him, ignoring his father's warning and dropping to his knees beside the body. He _looked _genuine. Reaching out slowly and tentively, he gently poked the sleeping man in the shoulder, but he just remained still. Rory decided to push him this time - proof this was actually a real, breathing, living man, and not some kind of look-a-like doll.

The man's body reeled with his push, making him gently flop onto his back so he was face up to the ceiling, his head lolling to the side. Rory watched his chest rise and fall with genuine lungfuls of breath, trying to make it sensical in his mind. It…was…alive…

"Too hard for your tiny teenage brain?" his father asked in a patronising voice suddenly from behind him. Rory noticed the Darkeese had now gone, and they were in mid-flight through the time vortex.

He immediately clambered onto his feet, backing away from his dad on the floor and straight into his father. He span around, those shining gold eyes meeting his father's own bloodshot diluted brown ones, his father's pale complexion hidden behind the sheer mass of blackness.

Rory shivered at the touch from his father – even through the gloves he could feel the icy fingers of bad circulation his dad never used to have.

He quickly pulled off of his father and sprinted away from both of the Doctors, over to the console. His father gazed after him for a moment, before rolling his eyes and turning to the man on the floor. He was stirring.

The Doctor felt groggy. This must have been the most sedate influenced month of his life. Feeling confused, he managed to lift his head slightly, wishing and hoping that everything that had happened to him in the past three days was just a horrible nightmare. But as a blurry black figure registered wonkily in his vision, he audibly groaned and let his head fall back on the floor in dismay.

"Recognise this room?" the black figure asked, but the Doctor didn't look up.

"Bad Wolf," he said simply. The black figure seemed to find this funny as its footsteps got closer towards him.

"Thought that might grab your attention," it said, and the Doctor finally looked up, jaw agape as the black figure slowly started to slip off its cloak. First it revealed prominent scald marks of slightly cleared burns up its white skin coloured arms, and then slipped its gloves off to more severe burns with hints of scarring on his hands. It then proceeded to gently lift off its hood – pulling the vocoder device off of its mouth and letting the cape drop in a heap on the floor.

The Doctor went pale.

"Surprised?" the man currently standing tall above him asked, the scald marks of more burns continuing up the side of his face. The Doctor just stared. It was himself. He was standing infront of him. No. Wait. His _self _was standing infront of him. In the TARDIS.

"It was you!" the Doctor realised, pushing himself onto his feet as high as he could with the chains binding him to the railing. "Why? Why the hell did you do it?"

"Do what? You gotta be a little more specific," his double said casually with a slightly discomforting grin. "Lose track of everything nowadays."

"You've travelled back on your own personal timeline! You tried to kill yourself, Rose and your son!"

To the Doctor's surprise, his double shook his head.

"Wasn't me. I might have decelerated in brain power recently, but I'm not stupid enough to kill myself at an earlier stage in my life," his double claimed, folding his arms. "And incase you're wondering, I didn't take you before when I had the chance because you wouldn't have survived the journey to the Darkeese HQ – and believe it or not, the last thing I want is for that body to die."

"Then what tried to kill us…" the Doctor began, but then something clicked. "Oh. They're Reapers…" the Doctor said softly, "…In a different form."

"Damn, I was good." The other Doctor grinned. "Yup. Figured out why, yet?"

"Because you've been messing around with the Timeline, and the Reapers, being in Time Lord form and therefore have more common sense, think that since I'm you, I'm the one causing the problems."

"And what's the worst thing you can do whilst in the mist of a huge rip in time?"

"Create a parad…" the Doctor suddenly trailed off, realising exactly what his double was thinking. He began to try and back away, back towards the door. "Don't touch me!"

His double step forward, that same evil grin spreading over his face as he stared at him straight through those evil bloodshot eyes.

"I used to care so much about the Laws of Time," his double sighed. "Kind of funny, seeing as how now I don't much care. You don't want me to touch you? I won't. You won't see the Reapers for long though. They'll be gone soon enough, just you wait."

The Doctor swallowed, dreading the answer. "Why?"

"Because one of us is going back to the future – and sure as hell it ain't gonna be me. As soon as I get the call telling me Rose has been caught, I'm gonna send you off to the future, get back my baby son and Rose from you, take your place - where I belong - and no one will even _know._ That's the beauty of it, see? Only three people will _ever _know of the switch. Me, you, and little Rory here."

The Doctor couldn't quite believe what was happening as he cast an eye over to the place gestured by his double, spotting a young good-looking teenage boy peeking out from behind the TARDIS Console at him with the familiar golden eyes, his blondy-brown hair looking messy and unmanageable on top of his head.

"Rory?" the Doctor asked quietly.

"Don't think talking to _him _is gonna get you anywhere," his double said loudly, as if the boy wasn't even in the room. "He hasn't spoken a word since that night; he's hardly likely to start now."

"'That night?'"

His double's grin suddenly fell, his hand unconsciously reaching up to trace the burns on the side of his face. He felt something in his throat as the scenes he really didn't want to experience again flashed through his mind – the dying moments of his lover.

"…The night Rose Tyler died," he croaked quietly.

Silence cast itself upon the three.

Slowly, the Doctor's doppelganger regained his composure, eyeing the Doctor up and down carefully. He finally looked away, turning to his son.

"C'mon," he beckoned the boy, disappearing out of the side door with his son in tow.

Sitting alone in the Console Room held by chains, the Doctor let everything sink in.

His future self had abducted him under the name of 'Bad Wolf' through the Darkeese, with intention to take his place in his own life. That would mean…Rose and Rory wouldn't even know about the switch. To Rory the new Doctor would still be 'dadda', and to Rose he'd still be _her _Doctor. Because he was the same man.

But he wasn't. It was his double's fault about everything that had happened over the past three months. He had _caused_ the bus crash from his messing with the Timeline. He had _sent_ the Darkeese after them to take Rory and Rose. He'd _known_ the Doctor would be at the R and R centre, and had formulated a plan to sneak him out through security. He'd _understood_ everything about the Doctor in the prison cell because with every action he took he was changing his own past, meaning it was just memories.

The Doctor sunk to the floor, dropping his head in his hands and staring at his feet.

"_I'll be back," _he had said.

Yes, he would be.

Just not _him._

* * *

**A/N:**_ Chapter 14 – Unnamed_

"_Look, I know I haven't exactly been the most fantastic dad in the world recently," he started, eyes dropping to the floor as he couldn't sum up enough courage to meet his own son's eyes. "But I would never abandon you. This is going to help you."_

Review and ask all questions, I'm on hand and willing to answer._  
_


	14. Doubles, Doppelgangers And…Daisies?

**A/N: **I gots meself a BETA, I did! Shame they can't BETA a/ns, though. They'd have a field day. And WOO! Everyone's up to speed with my Timeline altering backtracking Reaper thing...I hope. This is for **DoctorWhoHoney329**, and anyone that didn't review but got confused anyway. You REALLY should review and tell me!:

_The Doctor's future self has been destroyed by losing the love of his life, Rose Tyler, in a raging inferno - and resents his teenage son, Rory. But he's a Time Lord with a time machine - and when you're broken one too many times, you go past caring. He breaks the Laws Of Time and travels back on his own personal Timeline, determined to get his lover and his son back._

_He decides the best way to go about doing this is to hire the services of the Darkeese under the name of 'Bad Wolf', paying them to try to take Rory since Rose first got pregnant in the Long Meaningful Ramble 1. He is unsuccessful and his past self gets away with his family, until he arrives at the R and R centre to recuperate. His future self hatches a plan to abduct him and the past Doctor is tricked and taken the the Darkeese Holding Prison. There he meets Karida and Mr. Hollins, who are both seen to be close with the Doctor._

_The Bad Wolf comes to take the Doctor back to his ship, where he reveals his true identity as the Doctor's future self. The Doctor realises it was his future self all along, messing with the Timelines so much it caused the Reapers to come along - this time in a different form from when Rose changed her father's past. He also realises until one of the Doctors in this Timeline go back to the future, the Reapers won't go away._

_But the Doctor's future self has a plan: he is going to wait until Rose Tyler is confirmed to be in the Darkeese base, and then send his past self into the future - forever. This way there is a Doctor in each time, and so in time nothing is wrong. He will pretend to be the past Doctor, and take the past Doctor's Rose and Rory for himself._

I THINK that's everything. I've realised that you shouldn't think about it too hard, don't start questioning it, because you'll get even more confused.

(17 days...)

* * *

Chapter 14 – Doubles, Doppelgangers And…Daisies?

Rory was sitting cross-legged outside the door to the Console Room, peeking through a small crack to observe the man inside. He was sitting on the ramp to the TARDIS console where he'd been sitting for the past few hours, staring at the same spot on the wall with blank facial features.

Rory was scared. No. Strike that. Terrified. He'd heard his father's plan, all right – he was just going to abandon his son? Just gallivant off and send Rory and this weird double look-a-like back to the future? He knew his father was pretty self-contained nowadays, but would he really just leave his son to die?

"No," someone suddenly answered his questions from somewhere behind him. "I'm not abandoning you."

Rory whipped his head up, meeting the eyes of his father standing tall behind him, hands in pockets. Rory got onto his feet automatically, ready to leg it to his room – but his father rested a preventing hand on his shoulder.

"Look, I know I haven't exactly been the most fantastic dad in the world recently," he started, eyes dropping to the floor as he couldn't sum up enough courage to meet his own son's eyes. "But I would never abandon you. This is going to help you."

Rory's eyes narrowed. _How?_

"As soon as I get the call telling me Rose is in the Darkeese base, I'm going to preset the TARDIS to the Atlantic in our time. The Console Room will be in a lock-down, so you'll be safe if you stay away from the Console Room. High chances are the force of the water will rip the chains he's being bound by because they're pretty weak, and he'll get washed out into the Atlantic and get picked up by a ship. Either that or he'll drown. But I know he won't. Because I'd never let that happen. Then he's gone – and the TARDIS is all yours. It's like your inheritance. Assuming you remember how to use it from when I taught you?"

Rory nodded, sharply.

"Good. She'll be all yours for whatever you like. Your own TARDIS. Pick up a few girls, do whatever you teenagers normally do – but just watch yourself, okay? I won't be here to watch your back."

Rory nodded again, fully understanding. He was getting quite excited now. His own TARDIS… his dad had promised him one day he'd have one. His excitement must have shone through on his facial features, because his father was smiling broadly at him.

"Good. Sorry I can't take you with me. Too many reapers around already."

He ruffled Rory's hair with a smile, before reaching inside his coat and withdrawing what look like a normal handgun. He held it out to Rory, who took it – puzzled.

"Need you to do me a favour," his father said, nodding to the Console Room where the other Doctor was lingering. "I need to move him to somewhere more secure and he's gonna protest. I need you to shoot him if he tries to get away. Don't worry – it's a paralysis gun, it'll just prevent him moving for a bit. It won't hurt him."

Rory nodded again, wielding the gun carefully as though it was capable of killing a man. His father stepped past him out into the Console Room – the double instantly looked up.

"Hi," he said brightly. "I've been doing a little thinking about your plan and I thought…"

"You can't baffle me into letting go of the plan," Rory's father said, walking towards the double. "Unfortunately for you, I know myself. Stand up."

The double didn't move.

"Stand up," Rory's father repeated, standing over him now. "Little Rory over there is wielding a paralysis gun, so it might be in your best interest to comply."

"No sedate?" the double asked and he got onto his feet unsteadily, sounding almost disappointed. "Ten points for versatility."

The Doctor smiled to himself, bending down to the metal cuffs. The double looked a little edgy, suddenly backing away from the Doctor as though he were scared he was going to touch him.

"Oh come on," the Doctor started with a sigh. "You don't seriously think me touching you is going to matter _all _that much, now?"

The double stared at him for a moment, considering his point. Eventually he sagged, giving in. The Doctor gripped his right wrist and slipped the key into the lock, un-clicking the double's right wrist from the chains. He hummed in approval, massaging the now free wrist with his other hand, sore indent marks apparent in a red ring.

"Now just do the other one and I'll be on my merry way…" the double said hopefully, but the Doctor shook his head, grinning.

"C'mon," he said, beckoning the double as he walked across the TARDIS, holding the half of the chain that was free. The double complied, eyeing Rory over in the corner who was enthusiastically pointing the small black gun straight at his hearts. The Doctor led the double to the TARDIS console, noticing how he seemed to be staggering slightly. He let go of him temporarily to shift the floor plate he so frequently moved to gain access to the centre of the TARDIS console so he could do some classic Doctor 'tweaking'.

The Doctor knew an opportunity when he saw it. He had to take it, no matter what. Okay, so he might be paralysed for it – but it was a small price to pay to get Rose and Rory back…and a piece of damned food. He hadn't eaten since his last night with Rose – and he was starving.

Plus, his doppelganger wasn't exactly likely to feed him. Not if he planned to make him vulnerable enough to do what he commanded. He had to do something. Anything.

He glanced over at the console, weighing up possibilities in his mind. He could make them crash…though they'd probably all just end up dying. He could just bolt it to the door, but with his manacled ankles that would be slightly difficult…

"Good ship, isn't she?" He side-stepped casually towards the console, fondly patting the TARDIS dashboard. "Lot of memories there."

"My memories too," his doppelganger said, pulling away the floor plate from its indent. "I always know what you're thinking. For instance," he started, arm disappearing down into the floor. "Right now you're thinking about pushing that lovely elevated red button in the middle of the console there, probably causing us to crash."

The Doctor stopped sidestepping towards the console.

"I was thinking nothing of the sort!" he claimed with mock affront, "that would just be too easy."

He was about to formulate a plan to get out of this, but before he could have a chance to think, the doppelganger was straight onto him. He suddenly drew up from the hole in the floor with his arm extended, revealing his Sonic Screwdriver clutched in his right hand pointing directly at the Doctor.

The Doctor stared at him.

"Doesn't kill, doesn't wound, doesn't maim," he said, fast losing confidence in his own words.

"No, but it's _very_ good at sending people to sleep."

"Back to the sedate." The Doctor sighed heavily, looking down at the open floor plate tiredly. "Get in, right?"

The doppelganger nodded.

The Doctor just about kept himself balanced as he dropped down into the hole, suddenly in an extremely familiar realm. There was very little space to move, and he couldn't even sit cross-legged without his head touching the ceiling. He'd never thought of this place as a prison before. "Just be glad I'm not claustrophobic."

The doppelganger didn't answer for a moment, making sure the Doctor had fixed the handcuffs tightly around a floor pipe and back around his wrists. He seemed to frown, picking up the metal floor plate and holding it infront of him.

"No, I never used to be, did I?"

The Doctor noticeably paled, watching him fearfully as metal hit metal, and two pairs of shoes disappeared quietly out of the Console Room.

* * *

**A/N:** Slight lack of it right now. I have immense block which won't shift, and it's not finished. The penguin one is around 800 words at the moment, if this block shifts it'll be up tomorrow :D 

_Chapter 15 – Unnamed_

_ He had said something like that, hadn't he? Something about the Universe not wanting them to be together, and that in the end is just fate. A cruel one – but fate nonetheless._


	15. Dead As A Doctor

**A/N: **(Phew!) Finally. You can probably tell the amount of block I battled to write this as it's badly written, but luckily I had access to my awesome BETA and he said it wasn't as bad as I'd originally thought. It gets the message across, anyway. I think the block's next to gone, now.

* * *

Chapter 15 - Dead As A Doctor

"Mummy…"

"Yeah?" Rose asked her young fast maturing son, who was curled up in her arms, shivering.

"I don't feel good."

Neither did she.

She gave him a brief peck on the cheek, rubbing noses with him lovingly.

"Don't worry, we'll be out of here soon…" _…somehow._

"Where's daddy?"

She was beginning to resent that question now, because of the sheer helplessness she felt for it. She didn't know. She didn't _want _to know really, now she thought about it. He could be having a party or writing a novel…but then, he could also be being tortured or lying in a ditch somewhere hurt badly.

This was not a good week.

She had no idea where her partner was or what was being done to him; her son was starting to become ill in her arms and she couldn't do anything to help him; she felt sick herself and needed desperately to faint - plus the fact that she didn't have the slightest clue as to where she was right now was almost comical. It was like the Universe hated her and the Doctor being together, and being happy.

He had said something like that, hadn't he? Something about the Universe not wanting them to be together, and that in the end is just fate. A cruel one - but fate nonetheless.

"He's on his way to come and save us right now," she said, giving him a small smile. She was trying to convince herself, too. Karida and Fimble had long since gone - they'd had their memories wiped and had neatly been slotted unnoticeably back into society. Now it was just Rose with Rory, on their own in the middle of the cell, Rose trying to convince herself the Doctor - _her _Doctor - would appear at that porthole window, grinning widely and making jokes about how messy she looked.

"Well, can he hurry up?" Rory asked in a small voice, and Rose almost found herself smiling. Mini Doctor. Seemingly oblivious to the danger, yet moaning about it all the same.

And then something exploded.

It was outside the steel door and slightly muffled - but it was definitely an explosion. Rose jumped in alarm, holding Rory closer to protect him and shuffling back to curl up in the corner of the cell. She could hear shouting outside - screaming.

"Mummy, what's happening?" Rory asked quietly.

Rose didn't answer for a moment. She got up onto her feet, setting Rory down on the ground carefully. He looked pale and sick, and he was trembling wildly. She staggered over to the cell door, peeking through the porthole window to the outside of the cell.

She saw flashes of life forms running around, waving their arms wildly as they dodged flames in the aisle. They ignored the people in the cells, running on as if they weren't even there.

Rose desperately tugged as the cell door, using every ounce of her strength to try and open the door. But it wouldn't come.

She stepped back from the cell door, despair filling her. Where was the Doctor when you needed him, eh? She whipped her head back around to Rory, who was looking extremely disoriented. He needed help.

"Somebody! Help us!" Rose screamed, gathering her son up in her arms. He had passed out. She _needed_ to get back to the TARDIS. "Somebody!" she screamed to the walls.

And then the door burst open.

"You called?"

* * *

The Doctor tugged half-heartedly at his heavy iron chains to no effect, wondering how exactly he'd allowed the situation to become this bad.

"Rose…" he groaned and curled in on himself, stomach pulsating with the pain of desperate hunger. "I love you…"

He remained still as the far door opened wide, and footsteps echoed across the metal flooring. They stopped just above him, and the Doctor felt a pair of eyes looking down on him. They remained like that for only moment however, and then they lifted and looked elsewhere.

The Doctor looked up through the grating to the pair of feet above, trundling around the console. It was strange seeing the world from below the floor. You got some very interesting views. The Doctor guessed correctly that looking up lady's skirts would be a lot, lot easier. Not that he'd ever done that. No. No, no, no.

Yes, yes, yes.

Okay, that was just immature. Here he was thinking about looking up ladies dresses whilst he slowly died of malnutrition. See? Human. He was slowly becoming more and more human. He blamed Rose. Stupid domestics.

There was a sudden beeping he knew well from the console, accompanied with a 'ding!'. The person above him casually started to tap buttons and pull levers - and then he grinned.

"Have a look," he invited, and the Doctor raised his head to look through the grating to the monitor his doppelganger was gesturing too.

Immediately he saw Rose, cooped up in the same cell he had been held in holding their infant son tightly to her, rocking him back and forth.

"Rose…" he whispered, pulling himself as far up as he could with his still restrained hands as if he could somehow get closer to Rose.

"And the rest, as they say, is history." The doppelganger looked down at him, grinning. He randomly flicked a few switches on the console professionally, and the Doctor watched with horror as the console slowly started to pulsate up and down, starting the dematerialisation process. His doppelganger sped over to the TARDIS doors instantly, giving a triumphant cry as he wrenched the door open. "I hope you can swim!" he yelled, but he didn't close the door behind him as he disappeared.

The column continued to pulsate up and down, the Doctor trying desperately to free himself from the restraints. His head collided with a metal support strut as the TARDIS landed, rather sloppily, and the column stopped moving.

He felt groggy from his collision, curling up into the foetal position and wrapping his arms around his knees. He only just about registered the sound of the tide from somewhere near him. For a moment he considered the possibility he had fallen asleep at a beach somewhere and was just starting to awaken, but knew it was not possible. That would just be too kind.

Then something wet washed over his feet.

He gently opened his eyes, watching the small amount of water cascade over his sneakers from the tide outside. A little more washed over. Then a little more. Soon both his feet were immersed in water - and then started to make short work of his shin. By the time the water had reach his diaphragm the Doctor had realised, rather dully, that he was going to die.

* * *

"You called?"

Rose's jaw dropped, seeing the very man she had desperately wanted to see standing plainly in front of her right side on, Sonic Screwdriver in one hand, the door handle in the other. She shamelessly burst into tears, running forward to meet him.

Then slapped him full across the face.

"Where the hell have you _been?" _Rose cried, falling onto him and not looking up. She felt the Doctor prise her off of him.

"I'll explain later," he said, slipping the Sonic Screwdriver into his pocket and taking Rory into his arms. "We've gotta get back to the TARDIS. Rory needs medical attention."

Rose nodded, taking in his sweet scent after so long as she took his hand - and they ran for their lives. The Doctor seemed to know the way off by heart as he led Rose through the numerous amounts of burning corridors and screaming life forms.

Rose gasped, pointing towards the end of the corridor where two Darkeese guards were trying to round up the prisoners. The Doctor immediately grabbed her and pushed them all into an indent in the wall, setting his finger on her lips.

"Shh," he commanded, pressing against her to try and get them both further into the wall indent. She wrapped her arms around his stomach, shocked at how thin he was. She pressed him even more against her, making a mental note to stuff him with crisps and chocolate as soon as they got back to the TARDIS.

Footsteps tore past them, but the Doctor didn't move for several seconds afterwards. Finally he pulled away into the light, allowing Rose to see him fully for the first time since he'd appeared.

She gasped.

"What the _hell _happened to you?" she almost screamed her question, staring at the trace of burns mostly down his left side. They were on the left side of his face and neck, and a little along his jaw line, and now Rose was looking she could see his burnt hand too. His clothes were covering anything else he had, and even they were messy and half wrecked.

"No time!" he yelled, grabbing her hand again and tearing off down the corridor.

"What happened to this place?!" Rose screamed again, not expecting to get any kind of answer.

"I blew it up," he said, like it was nothing.

Rose's eyes widened. "You blew it up with people _inside?"_

"Something wrong with that?" he asked as they reached some kind of ship docking area. But Rose could see the blue police box standing in amongst the spaceships, and the Doctor led her over to it within a flash. He stuck his key in and yelled, "opensaysme!" before withdrawing his key, gesturing for Rose to do the same.

Within seconds they were in, the Doctor tearing over to the far door leading into the corridor heading straight for the Infirmary.

Rose was swift to follow him, yelling for the TARDIS to somehow get them the hell out of there to safety. She kindly obliged, the column pulsating into sudden bright life as Rose disappeared out the Console Room.

She anxiously watched from the doorway to the Infirmary, feeling half dead and nauseous from her experience in the prison. The Doctor was lying Rory in a bed, tucking him gently in and checking him over.

"He's picked up a virus," the Doctor determined as he finished attaching him to some machines, looking up at Rose with a reassuring smile. "Now he's in the TARDIS she'll help battle it."

Rose nodded, walking over to the Doctor next to Rory and wrapping her arms around him. The Doctor looked down at her, checking her over with his diagnosing eyes.

"I think we all need an early night," he said quietly, and she nodded again, closing her eyes against him.

"Then maybe in the mornin' you can tell me what the hell happened to you."

He didn't answer her. Instead, he picked her up gently in his arms, walking her out of the Infirmary.

"Can we leave him on his own?" Rose asked worriedly, looking back at the bed where their son slept soundly.

"The TARDIS'll watch him for us. Any problems and she'll call. I think we've got a little loving to catch up on, eh?"

She nodded; too tired to register exactly what he had said but knew it probably involved that missing rubber duck. She was too tired to notice that he seemed to be a little more direct than usual. Too tired to notice his change in personality. Too tired to notice the little satisfied smirk he wore as they passed the Console Room.

Too tired to notice he wasn't _her _Doctor.

* * *

**A/N: **Don't have anything in the next chapter yet. Like a good girl I finished this chapter and put it up straight away :) Review and tell me your opinion on...the economy :) Or anything. Have any of you seen that new trailer for series 3? So funny! Check out the BBC site or YouTube for the 40 second trailer video. Martha looks to be pretty casual about time travelling with an alien.

Guess we'll all have to be moving on to Martha at some point :P

The move on from companion to companion isn't so bad as I'm told, but I wasn't there for the switch from Nine to Ten, so I don't really have a bench mark anyway. How hard was the move? I don't think I'm gonna be able to go with Martha for awhile :-/


	16. Death By Pillow

**A/N: **This is one of those ones I had to chop in two. I've written three chapters, but both my BETAs have disappeared into the night, so I've been lurking awhile now :P I'll give you a chapter a day for three days minimum, promise, promise, promise!

Have a read of my agonisingly unBETAed chater, and hope to God I get an email back soon :P

* * *

Chapter 16 – Death By Pillow 

The water was past his shoulders now, but he still hadn't moved save for the few hearty pulls he was executing on the chains - to no effect. Despairingly, he sat back against the support strut he had hit, waiting like a sheep to the slaughter for his time to come.

This water was bloody cold.

Rose and Rory were the only things that had mattered and now he'd even lost them. Was he too gullible? Yes, probably. Could it have been prevented? Yes, probably. Could he ever get them back? No…probably.

The water was now fast nearing his chin but he sat as still as a rock.

Unmoving. Unfeeling.

He suddenly frowned to himself. This was _pathetic_. What on Gallifrey was he thinking? Since when did he, the Doctor, the mighty conqueror and all around space superhero of the Universe give into a little challenge like this? It was all it was, really. A challenge. Like any other. Rose and Rory were _not _people he loved to death and couldn't bear to see hurt – they were average humans. Average, everyday, stupid, mental, intelligent, innocent, _brilliant _humans. Was he just going to give in and let these humans be trampled?

The water was almost at his mouth before he finally decided to move, powered by the knowledge of the average humans entrapped with _him. _His doppelganger. His arch nemesis. His own resurrected Master. Oh, he would pay. Rassilon, he would _pay._

He pushed himself up to the metal grating, tugging firmly and constantly at the chains – only succeeding in injuring his wrists with the metal from the handcuffs as they jutted painfully in. But he wasn't even registering these injuries as he pressed his face to the grating above him, taking in the last few desperate gasps of air before the entire lower section of the TARDIS was completely immersed in filthy salt water.

He ducked down to his handcuff predicament, seeing for the first time his own fog like blood eerily rising infront of him from the wrists of his handcuffs, still attached to the piping quite firmly. The Doctor seriously hoped no sharks were currently lurking nearby.

He gave another tug, his wrists imploding with more pain as he got the urge to start breathing oxygen. He had his respiratory bypass system for a few more seconds of battle, though he'd better start trying to get free now if he wanted to live through this.

But things only seemed hopeless as he pulled powerlessly again at the seemingly sturdy chain, the urge to breath now so strong he was fighting it. But he couldn't help finally submitting to his body's desires, feeling the shiver down his spine as the bypass system kicked in. He opened his mouth wide in an involuntary reaction to the activation, not taking in any oxygen but breathing all the same.

He glanced around his prison for some kind of help in the form of a sharp implement, but it was completely clean.

…He would have hit his own forehead if he could reach it.

He _never _left out anything anyway, especially since Rory regularly crawled around down here. The Doctor didn't see what was so amazing down here, anyway. It was cramped, dark and uncomfortable. Well, that's what kids _like, _isn't it?

Kids. Children. He never understood them. They were the most complex yet simple, idiotic but clever, inventive though unimaginative and annoyingly fun creatures to be with. It had been a long time since he would be considered to be a child – blissfully ignorant and carefree of the troubled world around him. Back when life was simple. Back when life was _easy. _Back when 'Dalek' was a sound you'd make whilst clearing your nose.

The thing about Time Lords is it takes them considerably longer to grow up than, say, humans. Only one not to this rule were bipeds and genetic defected children – though there weren't too many of them around anyway, the Time Lords liked to keep their race as pure as possible with minor exceptions passed by the High Council.

Rory, however – Rory was growing even faster than an average human child. Plus he had those golden eyes. The Doctor still didn't know truly why, but he guessed it was something to do with the TARDIS. Had she made a connection with him? Maybe because he was born in the TARDIS there was some kind of link.

Child of the Time Vortex.

You had to admit, it was kind of catchy.

He could feel his bypass system starting to wear thin now. Using his bypass system always left him weak and vulnerable - and that wasn't exactly to best approach to take right now. The last time he'd used his bypass system was at the R and R centre when Rose had accidentally throttled him with a pillow for just a _little _too long. She'd gone mental after she finally let him free, seeing him half-dead and unresponsive – leaving her wondering for just under half an hour whether she'd just pillow murdered the saver of all mankind.

Of course, he still wished he was alert enough to listen to Rose's explanation to the doctors about why exactly he was in the A and E in a practically narcotic state.

"_The pillow got in my way…" _he heard her say in his head, _"…I needed to sit on somethin'…it seemed like a good idea at the time…"_

It was no good. He had to let go. Had to reroute his bypass system back to normal and just drown. He sighed to himself, thinking it could have been so much easier if he had gills – and let go.

Water immediately took hold of him like it had never before, the salt-water gushing up his nose, into his mouth – clogging up every single piece of anatomy he had to breathe. He was coughing, choking on the bitter taste of pure helplessness and defeat.

It was forcing its way into his throat, up his nose like an unbeatable force constantly pressuring. There was nothing he could do. Nothing at all. He couldn't even scream. He couldn't even flap around like a goldfish out its bowl for the last few seconds of its life.

Only seeing the constant red cloud of his own blood everywhere around him, he forced his mouth to open, forced his larynx to operate, forced his mouth in but one syllable – but it mean so much.

"_ROSE!"_

Then the weakness overtook him and he let go of his full consciousness – wondering whether she'd heard him or not.

* * *

**A/N: **_Chapter 17 - Solids, Liquids and Gases_

_The Doctor finally opened his eyes, looking down at her – slightly concerned. "What's wrong?" he asked softly._

_ "Bad dream…" Rose mumbled into his chest. "You were dyin'…drownin'."_

_ The Doctor seemed to go rigid beside her. "You what?"_

_ "You were drownin'," she repeated, trembling as her dream flashed through her head. "You had these handcuffs on and they wouldn't split, and you were bleedin'…you were so helpless…you screamed my name…then I woke up."_


	17. Solids, Liquids and Gases

**A/N: **TECHNICALLY, it's not late.

OMG COME ON SATURDAY!

If anyone saw the newest newest newest trailer? AMAZING!  


* * *

Chapter 17 – Solids, Liquids and Gases

"_ROSE!" _

Rose's eyes instantly bolted wide open, staring in horror at the ceiling of the Doctor's bedroom in the TARDIS wondering what the hell she'd just dreamt.

She immediately looked over to her right as the details came rushing back, seeing the Doctor still sleeping peacefully in amongst the covers with an arm draped over her chest, as if he was protecting her even in his sleep.

She sighed in relief, shaking slightly from the pure impact of the violent dream as she crawled further under his arm and snuggled up close to him to repel all bad dream demons. Sure, she'd dreamt of the Doctor before, but never quite like _that. _It seemed so real…like he really _was_ drowning…calling out her name…gasping for air…his lifeblood rising all around him like smoke infront of a bright red light…

The Doctor groaned satisfactorily in his sleep, instinctively turning over so his other arm was cradling her too, pulling her closer to his bare chest.

Just a bad dream.

Everyone had bad dreams. She hadn't had one since she was twelve, but even then that was about an army of Munchkins stabbing her repeatedly in the chest.

She opened her eyes again, looking up at her lover. No, she wasn't hallucinating those burns in the heat of the moment yesterday – there they were, clear as day.

She watched his face for a while, wondering what he could possibly be dreaming about. What do aliens dream about? Do they even dream? Do they have nightmares? Do they dream differently to humans?

"Y'know, if you're gonna keep staring at me you should at least try to say something."

The sudden sound of his voice pleasantly startled her but he didn't even bother to open his eyes. She huddled closer into him, burying her head into his chest as the voice reminded her of the desperate scream of her name from the dream.

The Doctor finally opened his eyes, looking down at her – slightly concerned. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"Bad dream…" Rose mumbled into his chest. "You were dyin'…drownin'."

The Doctor seemed to go rigid beside her. "You what?"

"You were drownin'," she repeated, trembling as her dream flashed through her head. "You had these handcuffs on and they wouldn't split, and you were bleedin'…you were so helpless…you screamed my name…then I woke up."

The Doctor didn't say anything for a moment, staring at a spot on Rose's side of the bed fixedly as possibilities flashed quickly through his mind. No. His past self couldn't have died. If he had then he, the future version of him would also be dead.

"Just a dream," he told her gently after a brief silence. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

"Yeah," she smiled, holding him tighter. "As long as you don't do the disappearin' act again anytime soon."

"…Yeah," he finished weakly.

"Mummy…?" asked a sudden voice from somewhere near the doorway, shortly followed by Rory crawling into the room, making short work of climbing onto the trunk at the bottom of the bed and then onto the covers.

"Rory!" Rose gasped, ducking under the covers in embarrassment and alarm. "What are you doin' up? You're ill!" she noted as she realised how pale he looked.

"I'm hungry!" he said loudly, crawling closer towards them. "Hi," he said to the Doctor with an acknowledging nod.

"Hi Rory," he answered.

"I'm hungry," Rory said again, sitting cross-legged on the bed with his arms folded in determination. "I want food."

"I long for the day when you can get it for yourself," the Doctor said tiredly.

"Duh, not tall enough!" he said obviously, as if the Doctor was the child, not him.

"Is he ready for solids yet?" Rose asked, still hiding her nakedness under the cover of the bed as the Doctor beckoned Rory forward towards him.

"Say 'ahh'," the Doctor commanded, and Rory obliged. "Don't bite me please," the Doctor asked meekly as he ran his finger along Rory's gums, checking for teeth. "Teeth are coming through fast and strong," the Doctor determined, "He can eat softer solids for now."

The Doctor withdrew his finger and used Rory's clothes to dry it off. Rory looked surprised, wiping the area the Doctor had dried his finger off on and giving it back to his dad.

"Germs," Rory said impressively.

"Who taught you about germs?" the Doctor asked. He could have hit himself as Rory's answer came out.

"Daddy did."

The Doctor glanced at Rose, registering her expression.

"Oh yes, I did, didn't I?" _Good save. _He thought to himself as Rose nodded, believing him.

"No, not you," Rory said, turning his nose up in the air. "Daddy."

The Doctor blinked – tried to looked surprised.

"Rory," Rose started, plainly confused. "He _is _your daddy."

Rory shook his head firmly, lips pursed in certainty. "No, he's not."

Rose glanced at the Doctor with an expression that said 'what is your son on?'.

"Rory, he's just had an accident and he looks a tiny bit different. He's the same person though; he hasn't changed inside."

"Yes, he has."

"How so?"

"His brains all muddled…" Rory muttered, maintaining eye contact with his mother. "All weird and…stretched."

Silence took hold for a moment, before Rose broke the tension.

"You're just imaginin' things, Rory," she said, finishing the conversation. "Go wait outside for a second and let us get dressed okay? Then mummy'll go get you somethin' to eat."

"Okay!" he said brightly, as though the last few minutes had never even happened. He climbed off of the bed and onto the trunk, crawling out the door.

"What the hell was all that about?" Rose asked with a frown, turning back towards the Doctor. The Doctor debated a moment in a horrible lengthy pause…and then spoke:

"He's right, I have changed," he replied truthfully, running the back of his hand down her face gently. "But it was all to get back to you."

He didn't feel guilty. Because he wasn't actually _lying._

Rose sighed, her eyes pleading with him. "What happened to you? Please tell me." She was begging now.

He hushed her. "Not yet. I'm not ready. I will tell you…just not now."

"Hurry up!" Rory said loudly from outside the door, and the two parents obeyed their son's commands, and started to get dressed.

* * *

**A/N: **Typing AS WE SPEAK! Well, not REALLY, I'm tired and am going to bed, but I'll write the rest of it there :P 


	18. War And Peace And The Things Inbetween

**A/N: **HOW AWESOME WAS THAT!?!?!?!

* * *

Chapter 18 – War And Peace And The Things In-between

Why wasn't he surfacing?

Rory peeked through the window to the Console Room from the corridor outside, anxious. He should have surfaced by now. It had been at least three minutes since the water had taken the bottom section of the TARDIS, and it was now ankle deep above the grating.

Had he died?

No. No. Please, no. He may be a stranger, but he was still his dad. His clever, iconic, talented, amazing dad. Being left to die.

So much had happened in the past few months it almost seemed like a horrible dream as Rory sat, watching his dad die beneath the water.

_Please come up…please come up…_

Rory's eye flickered between the height of the water and the lower section, uneasy. Was it the handcuffs? Were they stronger than his father had anticipated? Or couldn't he get out? Was the plating totally sealed?

He was getting extremely worried now. His dad was dying right infront of his eyes, and he was just sitting there thinking up War And Peace. He had to do something. _Anything._

He jumped onto his feet and tried to push the door open, but the weight of the water pushing against it from the other side was overwhelming for the small push he gave it. He focused every single ounce of his strength into pushing on the door, his arms aching with the sheer effort as the door slowly opened, cold salt water cascading onto his feet within seconds.

He trudged slowly through the water to the place under the grating he knew where his dad was, eyes trying to see through the red coloured water to the section beneath. He could see a figure – a silhouette, rendered uninterpretable by the red water – but even from where he stood he could tell it wasn't moving.

He took a deep lungful of air, ducking beneath the water to the grating beneath. The water was knee deep now, making manoeuvrability limited as his hand fumbled for the catch on the removable floor plate. Straining with the effort, Rory was glad his father had a gym on board.

It finally came away, Rory tossing the metal grate without care away from the hole. He dropped down into it, his body temperature instantly and uncomfortably dropping into the minuses as he opened his eyes, looking up.

It didn't look promising.

Red water was everywhere, fogging up Rory's vision and making the Doctor even more unfocused. Rory swam against the current, reaching out to his dad suspended stationary and apparently unconscious in the water.

He was down at the handcuffs now, trying to keep calm. He didn't like seeing his dad like this. If he died, the Timelines would change so erratically the entire Universe, would, in all likelihood, implode. The entire fate of the Universe rested on him saving this man's life and he wasn't all that sure whether he could do it.

He looked down at the situation – the handcuffs were the implements causing the bleeding, and even without examining him Rory could tell the Doctor had passed out from asphyxiation.

The handcuffs were wrapped several times around the piping, which looked extremely like it was starting to break, and probably would have come away with a few more hearty pulls – which his dad probably wouldn't have had in him whilst simultaneous choking to death on water.

With determination he place his hands firmly on the piping, giving a huge tug. It gave way a little, but not enough to get out of there completely. Rory was aware he was losing air fast, but he _had _to do this.

He wrenched again, and again, and again. Just as he thought he himself was going to die of lack of air, something cracked – and the section of the piping was free. Rory quickly threw his arms around his dad's stomach, kicking desperately with his legs strongly to push the both of them upwards.

They broke the surface of the water, Rory gasping for air but his dad not. Rory pulled himself and his dad onto the metal grating, keeping the Doctor's head above water as he shook his wildly, as if somehow the action would bring him to his senses and start him breathing again.

After no reaction to his strains, Rory got onto his feet, dragging his dad across the floor and to the TARDIS Console, jabbing a seemingly random button on the panel and hoisting the Doctor up, resting his blooded hand on the panel.

The internal electric shock pulsated through the Doctor's body and Rory winced, holding onto him securely as his dad cried out in agony, jerking about with the physical jolt. It was the closest thing he could get to a defibrillator, and it was working. It felt bad to do it, but it was the only way to save his life.

The Doctor's eyes flew open wildly as he began to cough painfully, sounding almost as if he was bringing up a lung. He glanced over his shoulder to the person holding him upright as the coughing began to subside, surprised to see the face that met his.

"Rory!" he gasped, pulling away onto unsteady feet.

Rory swallowed, taking a hesitant step back as his dad stared at him, wide-eyed.

The Doctor had no time to reassure him as a sudden and violent sway almost sent the both of them into the wall. Rory immediately pulled himself up again, darting frantically around the console to program away from the sea. The Doctor watched, wincing, seeing his son program desperately for his grandmother's house in the Powell Estate.

Just as he was about to start the dematerialisation process the TARDIS swayed again with another wave, this time too violent to remain standing through. The Doctor instinctively flung out a hand to protect his son as the both of them smashed into the water, flying back out again instantly and gasping for air.

Before they even had time to recover another aggressive surge turned the entire ship towards its doors – making the Doctor and Rory hurtle without control towards the sea outside. The Doctor instantly grabbed the metal railing as a last chance with his left hand, right hand flying out again to grab Rory.

"GET TO THE CONSOLE!" the Doctor yelled over the roar of the waves crashing inside his ship, hands numb from the freezing cold as he held on with pure luck. Rory started to climb up the Doctor's arm, using his shoulders as leverage to defy gravity and get to the console to hit that dematerialisation button.

The Doctor could feel Rory's entire weight loading onto his one hand, and instantly snapped the other one to the railing to meet it. Anything to hold on. Anything to stay put.

His efforts weren't enough - a hand slipped.

It slipped accidentally more than purposely, but the next thing he knew the Doctor was being pulled backwards – back towards the TARDIS doors. With another harsh jerk from his arms and an explosion of pure pain somewhere midway around his wrists, the Doctor had _accidentally _stopped moving. He instantly realised his handcuffs had just saved his life, catching onto a sticking out piece of metal along the railing, which was now straining to hold his weight.

But Rory, startled by the yank from the catching of the handcuffs, was falling. His grip on his dad had slipped with the jerk and now he was hurtling back towards the doors, desperately trying to grab hold of something, desperately trying to stay calm, desperately trying to _scream…_

"DAAAAAAAAD!!!!" he screamed, utterly mortified, seeing the Doctor's head snapping back over his shoulder towards his son, paralysed by pain, fear and just pure surprise. The last glimpse he got of his son was screaming, a desperate plea for help – the first time he had heard him spoke, and also the last.

Another crash and the Doctor was sent back flying towards the console, smacking hard into the side and onto the floor, his head straight away screaming from the impact. He was holding onto the holes in the grating now, tears of pain and rage at the loss of his son pouring unashamedly down his cheeks, keeping him stationary as the TARDIS smashed onto it's side, most of the water cascading out back to where it had previously originated.

Pain driving in agonising pulses through his wrists, the Doctor used every single last ounce of his energy into climbing up the practically vertical slope, reaching the console with almost nothing left in him, whacking the button hard to start the dematerialisation process.

Then he let go of everything he was feeling, thinking, doing and wanting, letting himself close his eyes and let nature run its course as the TARDIS churned shakily away from the sea, slamming its doors shut automatically.

It landed in the Powell Estate in its fastest journey ever, the lights immediately powering down, the vortex in the heart of the TARDIS almost dead – its only occupant with it.


	19. Freema Who?

**A/N:** Haven't had too much tiem recently, heading onto into exams so I'm up to my knees in Shakespeare. On Easter Holidays now, might actually get something done :)

* * *

Chapter 19 – Freema Who?

The Doctor felt nervous with the baby boy watching him like a hawk.

It seemed everywhere he turned there was that kid, watching him - making a feeling he couldn't quite determine render him small and insignificant. Guilt? No. Maybe. ...Yes.

Why was he feeling guilty?

Everytime he looked into the eyes of that kid, he kept getting flashes of his own self, probably floating about somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean some few years in the future from now.

And he felt guilty.

_Really _guilty.

Rory reminded him of exactly who he was, where he came from, what he had done and the sheer evilness he had in him. Okay, so maybe he had been a little harsh, but it was okay, wasn't it? All to get back the woman he loved - who was currently in his arms, absently flicking through a teenage magazine with her feet propped up on the console pointing out how fat the celebrities were to him. Yes, he had been cruel. But it was worth it.

But that still didn't explain Rory's accusing stares.

He had to get Rory to accept him somehow. It was clear Rory had inherited the Time Lord's psychic traits, and the Doctor's brain and his brain had merged as one. Now him, the future Doctor had come along, and Rory's brain had attempted to connect again - but instead had found something completely different.

_That _would explain why Rory was staring at him.

"Something you want, Rory?" the Doctor asked, holding Rory's gaze.

_My daddy. _A little voice whispered in his head, though he could have just imagined it.

"Sconic scoodriver," Rory replied definately.

The Doctor internally sighed with relief. Rose couldn't get suspicious. Hastily, he dugged his free hand into the inside of his jacket, withdrawing the familiar metal implement from within. He held it out to Rory, who more grabbed it than took it.

"Stay in here so we can keep an eye on ya," Rose commanded without moving her eyes from the magazine, making the Doctor wince slightly. Rory could completely destroy the moment at any time.

"Okay," Rory replied shortly, giving the Doctor one last look of disapproval as he disappeared around the other side of the Console.

"Tch!" Rose said in disapproval as she got more into the magazine. "Look at that! Posh is pregnant again. Ooo, that sap won X-Factor. Charlotte'll be happy...he's good lookin'."

The Doctor didn't say anything, wrapping both arms around her and kissing her hair. He took in her scent for the thousandth time, applauding his own genius at getting her back. She was like no other.

She dropped her head on his shoulder, still scanning over the magazine. "Billie Piper...wow, looks a bit like me. David Tennant is _hot. _Hmm, kind of resembles you, too. Freema Agyeman...who? Never heard of her. She's with them too though..."

The Doctor was off in his own little world, letting her hair brush gently over his face as both his hearts exploded at the sound of her beautiful voice.

"Don't you think Wayne Rooney looks like Shrek?" Rose asked again, pointing to a picture in the magazine. Then looked up as he didn't reply, eyes narrowing. "And why are _you _so clingy today?"

"No reason," the Doctor muttered nervously, letting go of her a little. He had to keep his cool.

"No, no, keep doin' it, I like it," Rose claimed, snuggling into him a little more. "Just I'm the one clingin' to _you, _normally."

The Doctor smiled gently at her, but before he had a chance to reply there was a huge crashing sound from the other side of the Console - and both of them jerked upright. Suddenly there was the sound of crying - and only one more person was in the room with them...

"Rory!" Rose suddenly cried out, leaping out of the Doctor's arms and bolting around the console to the origin of the sound. The Doctor followed her silently, realising instantly what had happened. They both came upon to site of their son crying his eyes out, a giant, heavy looking metal plate barely inches from where he sat, still clutching the Sonic Screwdriver.

Rose immediately dived to scoop up her baby boy, blood pounding in her ears. "Oh God Rory are you okay?!" she cried, holding him tightly to her in relief. She took the Sonic Screwdriver out of Rory's hand, turning to the Doctor - eyes ablaze.

"What?" the Doctor asked, and instantly realised he'd just said completely the wrong thing.

"What?!" Rose repeated, screaming. "WHAT?! You didn't put this bloody thing on the safety settin', _that's _what!" she waved the Sonic Screwdriver pointedly in his face.

"I'm sorry Rose, I didn't think..." the Doctor blurted out truthfully. He'd been so wrapped up in his own thoughts he hadn't even _considered _the safety aspects of it...

"Too right you didn't think!" Rose snapped back. "This isn't you! What the hell was on your mind?"

"You," he whispered, truthfully.

Rose started at him, still unable to believe he could just 'forget' something as important as the safety of his own son. The Doctor looked down at Rory, expecting him to look scared - but he was grinning. He had _planned _this, the clever little bastard.

Then she did something which he found _extremely _upsetting.

She walked away.

That was torture in itself. She had just walked away and left him standing there like a scolded puppy. Why wasn't she standing here yelling at him? Anything was better than just...walking away without another word.

Should he go after her?

No, he decided. Just let her go do what she liked for the moment.

Sighing, he rested his hand on the TARDIS console, muttering ancient Gallifreyian pleas under his breath. But she didn't reply. Even his own ship was giving him the silent treatment.

He turned and left the Console Room despairingly, wondering how he could possibly make things right.


	20. Just Like The Movies

**A/N: **I've been a good girl with my updating :) I haven't touched Theme Hospital or The Sims ALL DAY!

* * *

Chapter 20 – Just Like The Movies

The first indication that something could have been slightly wrong was when the TARDIS landed on the Powell Estate, absolutely drenched when it was infact the middle of summer. The second indication could have been that the lights on the TARDIS were all completely extinguished and not even the lights at the top had shone when it had materialised. The third however, could had been the fact the TARDIS generally didn't tend to land at an angle.

But the most important was that it had been two hours - and no one had stepped out.

Mickey had tried to open the doors, but they were sealed tight. No amount of force could get them open - which they all agreed was not natural.

Something was in there.

Dangerous or not, nor Jackie, Howard or Mickey wanted to find out.

To begin with they had tried to call out Rose or the Doctor, even little Rory. But no one had come. The TARDIS had remained still and silent in the bright summer sunshine - and Jackie was starting to get motherly worried.

"What if Rose is in there, eh? What if she can't get out? What about my grandson? Eh? Eh?" she demanded, putting her foot down. "What if the Doctor's 'urt and they're all trapped? We're gonna get that door open and we're gonna get 'em out."

"What if there's somethin' big and black with sharp teeth in there?" Mickey pointed out. "Maybe the Doctor sent it here to keep it confined or summat?"

Jackie shook her head, exasperated. "The Doctor would never go anywhere without the TARDIS, it's the one thing that keeps 'is family safe and 'e'd never send it away, even for somethin' better. That ship is his lifeline."

"How d'you know so much about 'im?" Mickey enquired, suddenly frowning.

Jackie sighed. "Let's just say the past few months have really opened my eyes to the man behind the alien."

So the first phone call was duly regarded as rubbish, and was left unchecked.

A few more hours passed, and the excitement of the TARDIS landing had died down. They all reasoned the Doctor was probably in the midst of fixing it and the doors were just stuck.

So the second phone call _was_ noticed.

Jackie picked it up, just about managing to tear her eyes away from the television screen to the phone on the table next to her, picking it up and pressing it against her ear.

"'Ello? Jackie Tyler speakin'."

There was a distant hum on the other end of line - a sort of died away warm buzzing. It sounded eerily familiar, but Jackie couldn't put a finger on where she had heard it before. She pressed the phone harder to her ear - there was some kind of faint whispering, like a thousand people were talking but not one of them could speak loud enough.

"Sorry, I can't 'ear you, you'll 'ave to speak up," Jackie said politely, and suddenly the whispering intensified from a thousand people, to more like a million.

But she still couldn't figure out the words. Shuddering, she put the phone down again.

The third phone call was the one.

She was almost hesitant in picking up the phone this time. But she did. There was something about that call which had made her blood run cold, sent shivers down her spine, terrified her to the point of fear so much that she was actually intrigued.

Again, the whispered voices. She was petrified in her seat but she had a longing to hear what they were saying. The louder they got and the harder she listened - it was apparent they were repeating one word over and over again between them.

_Help._

The second it had clicked in her mind, the phone call terminated.

* * *

"We 'ave to get in there," she tried to talk with Mickey about the phone call. He seemed to think it was slightly in her head. 

"Don't be stupid, that's like somethin' out a supernatural movie. Like White Noise or whatever."

"That message was realand I _know _it was real! It's the TARDIS or somethin', I _know _it is! There's someone in there and they need our 'elp."

Mickey stared at her for a moment, before sighing and looking to the floor. "Okay, say I believe you. 'Ow we gonna get in there?"

Jackie didn't answer as she sped out the door to the TARDIS.

Mickey hastened to follow her, picking up several wireless tools of destruction in the sheer hopes of getting the TARDIS doors open.

Two hours later, and they were both still hard at work. The TARDIS doors looked wrecked beyond repair; but they still refused to open. Mickey gently reminded himself of the Brainiac Challenge where if they opened the safe they got the money inside. Shame he'd missed the last episode, really. He never did find out whether they got it open or not.

"It's no use Jackie," Mickey suddenly said, wiping the sweat off of his brow with his arm as he put the chainsaw down onto the floor. "It's not gonna open. Not for you, not for me, not for anyone."

"It _has _to," Jackie said firmly. She began to think hard, think desperately for a solution. She hated to say it, but what would the Doctor do? What kind of seal would he put on the TARDIS doors? "Maybe…maybe we're bein' too forceful…"

Mickey watched carefully as Jackie stepped forward to the blue wooden doors, resting her hand on them and running it up and down the blue wood, caressing it.

"TARDIS," she whispered into the wood, suddenly finding the prospect of talking to a slab of wood slightly worrying. "I got your phone call, and we're 'ere to 'elp. But we can't do anythin' unless you open up. We want to 'elp. Please, let us in."

She waited a few seconds, not knowing how to plead any further with the ship – but there was no need. There was a small, faint click, and they both instantly knew the TARDIS doors had unlocked.

But what awaited them inside?

"Mickey," Jackie started, not opening the unlocked door. Not yet. "Run up to my flat and stand next to the phone, would ya?"

He didn't protest, thinking it was something to do with the TARDIS' phone calls. Jackie watched him as he disappeared into her flat, before taking her mobile phone out of her pocket and dialling her own home phone number.

"_Hello?" _answered Mickey, sounding a little more than terrified.

"Hi Mickey, it's me," Jackie said to him, before cutting over his protest. "Before ya argue, I've sent you up to the flat because if there's somethin' dangerous in 'ere, you'll be safe."

"_What?!" _Mickey sounded panicked.  
"I want no arguments, that understood? Now I'm goin' in. Do _not _follow me. Stay right on the end of this phone."

Mickey took the phone from his ear, staring at it with confusement. He pressed it to his ear again.

"Why are you doin' this, Jackie?" he asked. "Why do we all matter this much to you?"

She didn't answer, and for a moment Mickey wondered if she'd just been eaten or something without him even noticing.

"_I'm going in," _she suddenly said – either she hadn't heard the question or she had chosen to ignore it altogether.

There was silence for a moment, where Mickey could hear Jackie's footsteps on the familiar metal grating of the Console Room below her feet. They stopped for a moment, and the line went absolutely silent.

Mickey was about to call out to her, but then she spoke again:

_"Okay, Mickey?" _Jackie's voice came through again, and Mickey quickly readjusted his grip on the phone, pressing the speaker of the phone even harder against his ear.

"What?" he asked, waiting with baited breath as his heart pumped blood at double the rate it should have been around his body.

_"Can ya go to the kitchen for me?"_

Mickey looked slightly confused – after all, it was hardly time for a snack – but all the same, glanced edgily out of the doorway, into the kitchen. He slowly and carefully put one foot infront of the other - that was it, wasn't it - and stepped boldly in through the kitchen doorway.

"I'm here," he said down the phone, glancing around at the seemingly normal kitchen.

_"Okay, can ya turn right and look up, so you're facin' the white cupboard with the light brown round 'andle?"_

"Yeah?"

_"Open it up - carefully, it's pretty full."_

Mickey reached tentively up for the handle, hand almost shaking with uncertainty. With a quick, careful motion - the cupboard door was open.

"Right?" he whispered, looking careful over the contents within.

_"Reach right into the back of the cupboard, there's a green box there. Take it out."_

Mickey obliged, reaching in carefully and withdrawing a deep green First Aid box from within, glancing it over in his hands.

"Yeah?" he whispered, almost inaudibly.

_"Now put down the phone, go out the front door, look down from the balcony to the TARDIS - and run like HELL."_

So he did.

He tumbled in through the TARDIS doors barely ten seconds later, clutching the First Aid box protectively to his chest as he forced his eyes open, and look around the TARDIS.

Immediately the heavy smell of pure seawater hit him in the face, and it was quite easy to see why. Even without carefully inspecting it, Mickey could see the entire lower section of the TARDIS was totally drowned in red tinged water. There were signs of a desperate struggle from the open door across the room, the floor plate abandoned carelessly near his feet, blood smeared onto the TARDIS Console. But the worst was yet to come.

Jackie was standing rigid barely two metres from Mickey, still holding the mobile tightly in one hand, knuckles white as she stared downwards at the sight on the floor.

The Doctor was sitting up, limp against the console.

And by the look of things, all the blood was quite possibly his.

* * *

_Chapter 22 – Unnamed_

_"Doctor, don't do this," she said softly to him, turning his limp head gently with two fingers to face upwards. "C'mon sweetie, wake up for me."_

_His body remained stationary as Jackie held his blood-coated hand for support._

_"__He's drowned," Jackie said to Mickey as he knelt next to the both of them. "Somethin' got 'im…check his hands…" _

_Mickey did so, and winced at the sight of the cuffs. Immediately possible scenarios came flooding into his head a dozen at a time - none of them looked nice._


	21. Sod's Law Strikes Again!

**A/N: **I wrote looooooooooooooooads of chapters yesterday XD So I'll give you one a day 'til I run out :P

* * *

Chapter 21 – Sod's Law Strikes Again! 

Jackie speechlessly held out a hand to Mickey as the phone dropped to the floor with a clatter. He soundlessly passed her the First Aid box; jaw agape as he stared at the thing lying unconscious in front of him, extremely pale, lifeless, and absolutely drenched.

"Is he dead?" Mickey tried to say, but the words wouldn't come out. So he just stood still as a rock, staring at it.

Was it even the Doctor?

No…it couldn't be…he…wouldn't…couldn't…

Mickey watched as Jackie stepped towards him, lifting him gently up to lay him flat on the floor, hovering a hand above his mouth.

"He's just about breathin'…" Jackie said as strongly as she could, setting the First Aid box next to her and digging about in it for medical equipment. "Gawd, it's cold in 'ere."

"Is Rose 'ere?" Mickey asked, his voice hovering on the edge of pure shock, unable to take his eyes off of the Doctor.

"I dunno," Jackie would have said it rudely but she didn't have it in her to. "Go 'ave a look."

In any other circumstance Mickey would have argued the point that the TARDIS was the size of a city and you rarely could find your own bedroom, but like Jackie, he didn't have it in him. He checked in a majority of places in the TARDIS they were likely to be for her or Rory - but found nothing. He did however, find something rather useful in the Infirmary and quickly transported it back to the Console Room, where Jackie and the Doctor were lurking.

The Doctor looked a little cleaner, and Jackie was desperate to wake him up.

"Doctor, don't do this," she said softly to him, turning his limp head gently with two fingers to face upwards. "C'mon sweetie, wake up for me."

His body remained stationary as Jackie held his blood-coated hand for support.

"He's drowned," Jackie said to Mickey as he knelt next to the both of them. "Somethin' got 'im…check his hands…"

Mickey did so, and winced at the sight of the cuffs. Immediately possible scenarios came flooding into his head a dozen at a time - none of them looked nice.

"Get 'im to the flat," Mickey was saying. "Can't keep 'im in 'ere. It's freezin'. I got this." He showed Jackie the wheelchair he'd acquired from the Infirmary, and she nodded in approval. Together they lifted the Doctor up into it, scared about how much control they had over him right now. A lot of creatures in the Universe would give their right arm to have the Doctor so helpless at their feet. This was like Christmas all over again.

Slowly and carefully, they headed back to the flat.

* * *

This was unbearable. 

He didn't dare go to bed last night with Rose still in a mood with him. These days he needed every single bit of sleep he could possibly get, the torment his body had taken was just too great to brush off sleep like he had used to – in the old days. Before it had happened. Before his entire life had turned to crap.

If he wasn't careful he'd lose this Rose too, and he couldn't do that. He loved that girl so much both his hearts hurt, and he'd worked so hard to get her back. He couldn't let her slip through his fingers again.

He hated himself again.

He was sat in the botanical gardens of the TARDIS he had so frequently pondered in before, gazing from a bench at the colourful view presented infront of him. He had brought Rose here once, he recalled. He had told her he'd never lose her, never let her go and never stop fighting in her name.

Basically: false promise after false promise after false promise.

Oh, how he hated himself.

Even his own son was against him, and frankly, he was beginning to see why. His soul had burnt in that fire with Rose Tyler, and Rory had seen that since day one. Why had he been so mean? He loved Rory. He loved the both of them. Rose had taught him…

Never mind. The speech could wait 'til later.

"Doctor," said a female voice from behind him. He didn't turn around.

"Come to tell me I'm dumped?" he asked, trying to gently laugh but what came out instead was more like him clearing his throat. But she laughed. Oh, that laugh. That laugh was the most beautiful sound in the Universe. He loved it. He loved her.

"Not quite." She took a seat next to him, but didn't touch him. "I want to know."

"Know what?"

"What happened to you."

He swallowed, nervously.

"…Would it make you happy?" he whispered more than said. "Please. I want to make you happy."

She rested a hand on his, and he looked up, gazing straight into her eyes.

"Tell me."

The Doctor was immediately torn in two. His brain told him to lie, to lie straight to her face and make up a heroic story full of fighting and pain and rage…but his heart, and her beautiful brown eyes…both yearned for the truth.

Yearning. Needing.

_Lie. _His brain almost screamed.

_Truth. _His heart whispered softly.

Slowly, he took a deep, fortifying breath; and began to tell her a complete and total lie.

* * *

Voices were distant, and still the Doctor couldn't find them. They were all anxious voices. Voices about him - calling his name. He got flashes of Jackie's flat, of Jackie herself and Mickey the Idiot, trying to tempt him out of unconsciousness with cups of sweet smelling tea. But he couldn't wake up. 

Besides. What did he have left to wake up to? His doppelganger had Rose and Rory, and he wasn't going to give them back anytime soon. He hated himself. He'd lost them - both of them. It would have been just a tad more bearable if he knew Rose could tell that bastard wasn't him, and she was trying at this very moment to find him. But he was identical.

He had nothing left to live for. His double's ship was water drowned and inoperative; his own ship was currently God knows where and when in the Universe; his son and the only woman he'd ever properly truly loved was with the most horrible, vicious, destructive and powerful being in the Universe.

Himself.

The Master saw this coming. He had seen this waiting for him. They were all right. Everyone who had criticised him for meddling with time – this was what they knew would have happened. They all saw this coming, and the Doctor had just waltzed on, oblivious and innocent.

So now here he was. The Lonely Angel. Dead inside.

His eyes opened more out of needing to than actually wanting to. He felt very sick inside; tired all over and like a zero, a nothing. He was a shell of a man, his feelings and memories packed into a suitcase, ready to take a hike into the unknown.

Jackie was all over him within two seconds, but the Doctor didn't move. Didn't react. Any psychiatrist would say he was in shock – but he wasn't. He was just a heartsbeat away from giving up altogether.

"Doctor, what 'appened? Where's Rose?" Jackie was asking him, but he ignored her for the moment. He pulled himself shakily out of the bed and staggered to the dressing table, staring at his own reflection in the mirror.

Slowly he reached up to his hair and tugged lightly at it, whimpering as he lowered his hands and stared miserably at the reels of bandages encasing them. He moaned in pain and discomfort with a stabbing pain in the back of his head as he sank to the floor in a heap, resisting from curling up into a ball. Jackie stared at him. This was all incredibly un-Doctorish, and despite all the questions burning inside her, aching to be asked with sheer curiosity about her daughter and grandson – she knew they had to wait until later.

"C'mon, you need some rest."

He nodded, but didn't move from his position.

She put her arms around his chest, pulling him onto his feet with his arm around her shoulder. She was alarmed at how thin he was.

"How long has it been since you ate?!"

"Can't remember," he muttered, a crease of a frown appearing on his forehead. "Over a week…?"

She instantly changed her direction, towards the sitting room. "Then before we do anythin', you eat." They both slowly made their way there, Jackie dropping the Doctor onto the sofa, taking the TV off standby. She didn't bother looking at what was on before she went to make some supper.

The Doctor recognised the film instantly. It was Casablanca. The film notorious for its ending where the man gives up everything he ever had for a woman he's never going to see again.

"_We won't be apart…we just…won't be together…" _the film said, and the Doctor went white – biting his fingernails. He took a cushion from the side and stared as Titanic started up, a film where the man dies saving the love of his life, who is aptly named 'Rose'.

When Jackie finally finished making food, she went back into the sitting room only to find the Doctor holding a cushion to his chest and rocking back and forth, staring at the screen which was currently showing Rose flying on the front of the ship with Jack supporting her, one of the most emotionally powerful songs in existence in the background.

Jackie quickly hurried over to the Doctor, putting the plates of food and cups of drink onto the table and instantly grabbing the remote to put the TV back on standby.

"Oh, Sod's Law, eh?" she said in a jokey voice, but the Doctor didn't feel inclined to reply. She sat next to him on the sofa and picked up a cheese and tomato sandwich, hovering it infront of his face to try and tempt him into taking it. Like a nervous hamster, he extended a hand to it slowly and carefully – before snatching it and curling back against the sofa, watching her shyly as he nibbled on the side. Once satisfied it wasn't poisonous, he took a bigger chunk, then a bigger one, and then a bigger one. Soon it was totally devoured and he was staring longingly at the rest of the food.

"Eat all ya want," Jackie smiled at him comfortingly. He nodded, cramming the last of the second sandwich into his mouth as he reached down to the cup of orange – but even before he properly started to lift it his wrist exploded with pain, and he instantly cradled it to his chest.

Jackie watched his failed attempt, suddenly empathetic. She picked up the cup for him and, as if he were a child, lifted it to his lips. He took a couple of gulps without moving his eyes off of her, before giving the okay sign with his fingers and she took it away again.

Finally, he opened his mouth to speak for the first time since he'd woke up.

"Thanks Jackie," he whispered.

She beamed. "That's okay Doctor. Eat up, then maybe you can tell me what's been goin' on recently."

He nodded, an then looked to the floor as he took a banana from the bowl. He needed to tell someone…he needed to get it off of his chest.

Slowly, he took a deep, fortifying breath; and began to tell her the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

* * *

_Chapter 22 – Just Another Day At The Office_

"_Rory, it's me. Your DADDY." _

_Silence was the only thing that answered him, so he pushed open the door and peeked around inside._

_Rory was sitting there, staring at him with that freaky absurdly accusing stare._

"_Liar," he said._


	22. Just Another Day At The Office

**A/N: **Gawd, this guy is so un-Doctorish!

Apologies if I fading in and out of character with the Doctor and/or Rose, Series 3 Doc has a little bit of a different personality and I swear Rose is becoming Martha more and more :-/ But all I have to do usually is watch an ep with the people I'm writing for in, then my mind snaps to it. So, goody!

I really don't know how long it's going to be. Thirty chapters maximum...? It would be convinient if it was the same length as its prequel, but nothing's THAT kind. I've prewritten a few more, and I feel pretty sick right now but the weather isn't exactly beach in Cyprus, so I've been told to stay in. Fine by me. Oh, has anyone been watching the cartoon on Totally? I bloody hate that show, but the cartoon is awesome :) I go on YouTube to watch it now - Totally is just so bloody PATRONISING...

* * *

Chapter 22 – Just Another Day At The Office

The next day after he'd told Rose the big black lie, she got ill.

Maybe the Doctor was being punished for making it all up. He'd never wish for Rose to become ill, but he knew he was the actual reason she was. She'd probably picked up one of his many viruses and due to the fact she was human and had a weaker immune system, she was being more affected by it.

Everything seemed to be his fault now.

He sat on the edge of their bed, mopping her brow gently as she coughed feverishly, insisting every three seconds she was fine and trying to get up. She'd thrown up all her past meals from four days this morning alone, and the Doctor was getting extremely worried. Could she die from picking up something from him?

"Lay back and relax," he said gently, brushing back her hair. "Everything's gonna be fine."

She swallowed, looking up at him dizzily. "Rory…he…gotta check…Rory…" she said quietly and deliriously, reaching up to touch his face. "Gotta get…up…"

"Whoa," the Doctor said immediately, pushing her back down into the bed. "Don't strain yourself. I'll go check on Rory," he said, and immediately regretted it. He did his best to avoid that kid now – for both their sakes.

"I love you," Rose whispered and smiled gratefully, and the Doctor nervously got up from the bed, making his way over to the door.

He closed it gently behind him, gulping as he way his way towards Rory's room just a couple of steps down the hall. He gently knocked on the door, nervous to go in.

"Rory, it's me. Your _daddy." _

Silence was the only thing that answered him, so he pushed open the door and peeked around inside.

Rory was sitting there, staring at him with that freaky absurdly accusing stare.

"Liar," he said.

The Doctor stepped forwards, dropping to his knees as he suddenly started to burn with fury inside. This kid wasn't going to stop him being with Rose, not matter what the cost.

"I'll give you one last chance, kid," the Doctor said softly, staring into his son's golden eyes. "I, am, your, daddy."

Rory remained adamant, though.

"No, you're not."

The Doctor sighed, reaching out a hand to the boy, but he pushed it away firmly.

"Okay, so you got me," the Doctor said. "But what difference does it make? Can't you love me just the same?"

"I want my daddy," Rory said firmly.

"All I want is for us to be a family again. And you're ruining it kid. You're ruining it for all of us."

"I'll tell mummy."

Suddenly the Doctor lost what little he had left of his temper as he launched forwards and came dangerously close to his son.

"Oh yeah, go whining to her? Well, you're out of luck kiddo, she got ill. And it's your entire fault. You made her ill. You're going to kill her."

"I'm gonna tell mummy and get my daddy back!" Rory insisted, almost screaming now, but he held his ground.

"Yeah, but it's your word against mine. Who the hell d'you think she'll believe?! A whining little kid that caused a lot of pain or the man she loves?! It's no contest, you and your daddy have lost and I'm here now, you'd better get used to it."

"I'll get him back," Rory said again. "Daddy loves me."

"Well good luck with that!" the Doctor yelled, "d'you wanna know where he is? Where he really is? He's freezing to death in the Atlantic Ocean four years in the future, and he _can't _get back. Face it! You've all lost!"

"Daddy always won against people like you! I'll find him and _you'll _lose!"

"Oh, tough talk for such a dumb little kid," the Doctor spat out, on a roll now. "What can _you _do? You stupid little runt! Everything was fine 'til you came along and ruined our lives! You're a stupid little quarter Time Lord kid with only half your brain actually functioning! You can't even talk or walk properly yet and _you're _trying to make _me _scared?! Give up the dream; he's never coming back. Learn to live with it or go away. It's Rose and me now. It's not all about you."

He got up, and didn't even bother turning around as he disappeared out the door to go back to Rose.

* * *

"I can't believe anyone would do somethin' like that," Jackie commented as the Doctor finished his tale of woe. "That's just…evil." 

"He's me…" the Doctor whispered in a counter-attack. "I'm evil…"

She shook her head rapidly. "No, that's not what I meant Doctor and you know it."

He _really_ didn't believe her. She could tell by the look he was giving her right now that he didn't.

"Doctor, you've never been like this before. Hatch a plan. Save the world. Do it the way ya always did, get out there and get 'er back."

"But it's not for the world, Jackie," he muttered, chewing on a rich tea biscuit miserably. "It's just for me. No one cares. They never did."

"That's a lie, and you know it."

"Is it Jackie? Is it?" he demanded.

She took a breath. "For a start, I care about you. You're like that crazy clever little boy next door who needs to stop havin' so many E Numbers. Rose cares about you. We all do."

He sighed loudly to himself. "You say that, but whatever happened to everyone else? Romana, Ace, Peri, Harry, Jamie, Susan, my own _mother_. They all don't care now. 'Cause they're all dead."

He went silent.

Jackie sighed, resisting the temptation to give him a huge motherly hug as he stared miserably at the floor.

"…You can't let your future self win, Doctor. It's not right. There 'as to be a way to stop 'im."

He sighed, shaking his head. "I can't do anything. I'm useless, heartless and the Universe would probably be better off without me. Like you said: I'm just evil and I kill everything that I've ever known. How much longer until _you _die, Jackie? Or Rose? Or Rory? My family, for Rassilon's sake. How much longer until they all fall for the curse?"

"Doctor…" Jackie started gently, reaching out a hand to his arm.

"I've got nothing left, Jackie. Nothing. Not even my ship. Everything's just gone and there's nothing but me and the scars I have to prove it." He held up his bandaged hands pointedly to her, making a statement. He let them fall dejectedly to his sides as he got up onto his feet, and looked down at her, though he felt only two inches tall. "Thank you for saving me - but you were wasting your time."

He walked away.

* * *

**A/N:** _Chapter 23 – The Cunningnest Plan You Ever Did See _

_Gently unscrewing the lid, he lifted it to his nose and tentively sniffed the contents. Aspirin didn't actually smell of anything – unless you counted Tesco's basic range – but all the same, he launched into a strong sneezing fit powerful enough to leave him feeling a little dizzy. The one substance in the Universe that could render him useless. That and Jackie's Christmas Turkey, of course._


	23. The Cunningnest Plan You Ever Did See

**A/N: **Because this site hates its members, haven't been able to upload for a while. But the simple answer is here: s/3487795/1/ - just add the fanfiction URL at the start. I can't believe I didn't spot that! I always trip systems like that O.o

This story is _exactly _the same length as it's prequel. Thirty-two chapters. I also hate a lot of debate over this chapter. Is it ethical to make the Doctor do something like this? Well, it's for Rose, so I guess so really.

Incase you're wondering, this entire story is just looking at what might have happened if the Doctor took that one step further with Rose, _then _lost her.

Who saw Gridlock? THE KITTENS WERE SO CUTE!!! ONE WENT 'MAMA'!!!

(Ahem)

* * *

Chapter 23 – The Cunningnest Plan You Ever Did See 

The Doctor stared unblinkingly at his own ghostly reflection in the misted bathroom mirror of the Tyler's flat, deep in thought. His chest was aching, pulsating – and not because of physical injuries. It was his hearts. They were aching with every beat, stabbing pains inside his ribs – like they didn't want to beat anymore.

Slowly and carefully, he lifted his temporarily unbandaged right hand to the misted mirror and put his handprint in the condensation that had built up with his shower, revealing a slice of his face, his own two brown eyes staring back at him.

Accusing him. Watching him. _Staring. _

…He didn't even have the strength in him to watch himself.

He let his eyes fall to his right wrist, where an extremely deep cut was slashed viciously halfway into it – the tear of the handcuffs. Jackie had obviously been bandaging his hands along with his wrists to make it look more like an accident and less like a suicide attempt.

Dressed now in borrowed jeans and t-shirt from Mickey he was extremely aware of how hot it actually was in the room. Hot rooms made you more stressed. Made you think about things you generally didn't want to think about. Note: why he had never liked saunas.

He moved his already raised hand to the mirror cupboard and swiftly flicked open the door, wincing as his wrists reminded him of his recent past. Anything to stop his reflection staring at him.

He had loved, and lost.

Suddenly a pot on the shelf caught his eye, or rather, the labelling. It was a small clear glass brown jar with a white lid and prescription pills inside, half full. Aspirin.

He stared at the jar with acceptance, full well knowing if he so much as touched them he'd get a rash the size of Asia.

Gently unscrewing the lid, he lifted it to his nose and tentively sniffed the contents. Aspirin didn't actually smell of anything – unless you counted Tesco's basic range – but all the same, he launched into a strong sneezing fit powerful enough to leave him feeling a little dizzy. The one substance in the Universe that could render him useless. That and Jackie's Christmas Turkey, of course.

He chuckled softly to himself. Here he was, staring at his personal poison and he was making jokes. Jackie was obviously right. Crazy clever little boy with too many E Numbers.

But of course, Jackie Tyler was right about another thing too.

"…You can't let your future self win, Doctor. It's not right. There has to be a way to stop him."

He had lied. Yes, there was a way to stop him. And the Doctor was staring at it right now.

Aspirin, that's all it took.

If he was to take one now, he'd die, no questions asked. But so would his future self. That was the beauty of it, see? If he killed himself now, he'd also be dead in the future. He'd only needed to kill himself four times. Then he would be erased from Jackie and Rose's lives and forgotten for the rest of eternity. Where he belonged…in the nothingness.

In his head, it made perfect sense.

This was the only way.

"Only way," he said gently to himself. "Take the aspirin…"

He then realised he had already decided. He couldn't let his future self take the only woman he'd ever truly loved from his life.

He raised the jar to his mouth in a determined manner, tears building up behind his eyes as he mentally said goodbye to Rose and Rory – probably blissfully unaware of the switch that had taken place.

"Doctor! What the hell are you bloody doing?!"

The Doctor froze.

"Gimme that jar now!" Jackie Tyler commanded, storming over to him from the doorway she was stood in and striking the jar of aspirin out of his hand; the glass smashing into a million pieces on the linen flooring of the bathroom. "You bloody bastard!" she screamed in alarm, and the Doctor was pretty sure everything she was saying was more out of pure shock than common sense. She lifted her hand and gave a firm, stinging, full wrath of a Jackie Tyler slap around his face, trying desperately to make him see sense. "What the hell d'you think you're playin' at?!"

The Doctor didn't answer. He didn't dare to. He didn't even dare to make eye contact with her – so he just stared at the floor.

"Answer me Doctor!" she demanded, still screaming as she grabbed his shoulders and shook him roughly. "What the hell are you doin' you complete and utter bloody moron?! We didn't save you so you could go off and do this!"

Finally, he spoke. "You said it Jackie…" he breathed, "…my future self can't win. It's not right in time. There is a way to stop him, there always was. If I die, he dies. Time will go back to before Rose ever met me, and I'll just disappear from your lives. The only way." He found he was repeating himself from earlier, but now he was actually listening to himself; now he was actually being challenged – he could see it wasn't what it had originally been cracked up to be. Oh Rassilon. What hell had he almost just done?

"That's not what it meant, and you're an idiot if you ever thought it did. But it's not meant to end now, and defiantly not like this." She sighed, taking his arm roughly and dragging him out of the misted bathroom. "Whatever 'appened to my Saturday night, eh?" she asked, forcing a laugh as she sat him down on the sofa again and started to take fresh bandages from the already open first aid box on the table. "You're a full-time job, y'know that?"

"Jackie…" the Doctor started nervously as she started to bandage his hands again. How could he ever climb out of this hole? "I…"

"It never happened," she said firmly, not pausing in her bandaging.

He nodded, gratefully. "I wasn't thinking straight…" he muttered, guiltily.

"I know."

"Everything just hit me so hard…"

"I know Doctor, now shut up about it and forget it already," she said, almost rudely. "We've got somethin' far more important to attend to anyway. Let's get a Doctor plan on it. C'mon. Impress me."

He stared at her. She was just going to let this go? If he knew Jackie, it would be round half of South London by the morning. She'd never normally let a thing like this go. If Rose ever found out…oh Rose…he couldn't let her find out. If he ever got her back, he couldn't let her know. It would break her heart and both of his with hers.

As his mind cleared of this dilemma, he noticed Jackie has paused in the bandaging, now staring at him.

"Well?" she demanded. "Rose said you were the best in the Universe, and I'm seriously not convinced."

He frowned, mulling the situation over. "Rose and Rory…trapped with other self…absolutely anywhere and anywhen in the Universe…" Have to get to her. Have to kiss her. Have to find the both of them. Rose and Rory. He clicked, jerking to attention and letting go a small smile.

"Plan?" Jackie asked, and he nodded, still smiling.

"Jackie, this plan is so cunning you could stick an apple in it and call it Shirley…"

"…'Ave you been watchin' Blackadder?"

"Nope…" the Doctor continued in his 'cunning plan' voice, "I just really like cunning plans…"

* * *

**A/N: **Because of my idiocy, have another chapter as compensation. :D 


	24. “Hallo? Is It Me You’re Looking Fooor?”

Chapter 24 – "Hallo? Is It Me You're Looking Fooor?"

The Doctor sat with Jackie beside the phone in the flat, watching it with intent. One call. It's all it took. One call.

Jackie looked over at him, watching his handsome face seem expressionless in the angle of the lighting from the flat. He was wrapped in the spare bed duvet looking extremely ill and tired – but he had refused bed, at least, until Jackie had agreed with his plan.

Lure them back.

That's all Jackie had to do.

Then he would do the rest.

"You ready?"

He nodded, sharply.

Jackie Tyler picked up the flat's phone, and dialled for the TARDIS.

* * *

_Ring, ring. _

_Ring, ring. _

_Ring, ring. _

The Doctor leant forward, temporarily letting go of Rose and picking up the telephone, pressing it to his ear.

"Jackie?" he asked, trying to hide infact how nervous he was. If anyone had an eye for the bad apple, it was her. He could do this.

_"Oh hello Doctor,"_ she said. _"How are you?" _

Trick question? Since when did she care? "I'm…I'm okay," he replied. Damn. Stutter. Was it too obvious? He bit his lip.

_"Good to hear, how's Rose?" _

He glanced over at the person in question, trembling and clutching onto his arm – plainly ill, though, ten times better than she had been earlier.

"Jackie." He swallowed, nervously. "I…I'll hand you over to her."

_"Okay."_

* * *

"He's handing me over to her," Jackie whispered, putting her hand over the phone as she spoke. The Doctor went rigid with a combination of fear, excitement and shock. 

"Tell her…" he whispered, begging Jackie. "Please…tell her I'm here…please…"

"Hello sweetheart," Jackie suddenly said, it was plain she had heard his pleas. "Are you okay?"

_"I don't feel that well," _came the reply, and the Doctor with Jackie could hear every word of it. He steamed up to boiling point. Jackie immediately clamped a hand over his mouth, giving him an accusing stare.

"Oh Rose, what's 'e been 'ad you runnin' from this week?"

_"Nothin'…things haven't gone too well recently." _

"Neither of you sound a hundred percent. What's wrong with the Doctor?"

_"I dunno, he's been like it ever since…ever since…oh, never mind. I'm imaginin' it." _

"I want you three to come 'ome right now," Jackie said immediately. "Who's lookin' after Rory durin' all this, eh?"

There was a faint laugh. _"He's sleepin'. But I'll 'ave to ask the Doctor about comin' 'ome though, you know, Domestic Boy and all that." _

The Doctor looked to the floor as he heard her say the nickname she had given _him. _Strangely, it hurt to hear her say it for that guy.

"Neither of you are well, and I wanna see Rory again anyway."

_"Okay." _There was some muffled talking, and ten seconds later Rose spoke clearly again down the phone. _"We're comin' 'ome." _

"Okay sweetheart, I'll see you in a bit."

She put the phone down.

The Doctor stared at her blankly. "You didn't tell her…"

"Doctor sweetie, 'e would 'ave only overheard anyway, and I don't think you're in any condition to face 'im yet. Get some rest. You can talk in the mornin'."

The Doctor shook his head rapidly, pulling himself to his feet and attempting to walk over to the front door, but as soon as he got on two feet he launched into a coughing fit, and Jackie had to grab him to stop him falling over.

"Rest," Jackie repeated as he stopped coughing, and he groaned, but didn't protest as she took him to the spare room. She waited outside as he got quickly changed and then entered just before he practically collapsed into bed. Jackie drew up the covers around him – watching over him as he slowly slipped away into a restless sleep.

Soon the sound of the TARDIS churning screamed out to her from the Powell Estate, and Jackie was instantly glad Howard had hidden the other TARDIS in his garage. It was beyond useless now. It had become apparent the TARDIS had used every single last bit of her energy into trying to keep the Doctor alive, or he would have been dead long before Jackie and Mickey had found him.

The Doctor seemed to stir slightly with the sound of his ship, turning over and muttering a string of non-sensical words. Jackie calmed him as best she could – if his future self, Rose or Rory heard him, the outcome would not be nice. There was a ringing at the front door as the Doctor did indeed calm – though he was mouthing words instead, not saying.

She left him only to meet the three at the door.

* * *

"I'll be two seconds, just get Rory," Rose said with a small, forced smile, and the Doctor nodded, if but a little hesitantly as he stepped out of the TARDIS. 

Rose turned to go and fetch the youngster from his crib, when something suddenly caught her eye.

In her rush to leave the TARDIS last time she'd left the drawer of the TARDIS open, the one she had flipped her bio-damper into. But the ring wasn't the object that caught her eye.

It was the Sonic Screwdriver.

The broken Sonic Screwdriver from where he had left it after the shopping trip.

He'd never fixed it.

But…no. No way. The Doctor had his Sonic Screwdriver now – he had used it to get into the prison cell to her and Rory.

So what was infront of her right now?

No even wanting to think about it, she quickly closed the drawer and turned, back to the Nursery.

She soothingly roused her son from sleep and cradled him in her arms, brushing back his hair and kissing him gently.

"Wake up little guy," she said softly as his eyes flickered open from the dregs of sleep. "Your daddy'll be wonderin' where we are."

"He's not my daddy," Rory said defiantly. "He's weird and mean and gets mad easy."

Rose frowned. Not this again. "But honey, he's the Doctor…"

"I know."

"Then how can he not be your daddy?"

"He isn't. He told me so."

Rose blinked. "…We'll go have a talk with him, yeah?"

She fled out of the Nursery, walking quickly to the TARDIS doors, outside of which the Doctor was standing, waiting patiently for her to come out.

A small smile flashed across his features. The smile of a stranger? "What took you so long?"

"Rory's been makin' accusations," Rose replied, and Rory nodded, egging her on.

The Doctor hid his grunt of annoyance. "Again?" he said, as lightly as he could.

"He says you told him you weren't his daddy."

The Doctor heaved a sigh inside. This kid was really beginning to annoy him. "Obviously he misinterpreted what I said," he conjured up an immediate lie out of nowhere, "I said if he didn't want me to be his father, then so be it. It's better than getting this twenty-four seven. I think his psychic connection with me is a little faulty, see if we can't fix it when we get back to the TARDIS." He smiled. He could carry this on all night. "Either that, or he has a bit of an over-active imagination. Dontcha kiddo?" The Doctor smiled at Rory, before leaning over and tenderly kissing Rose on the lips. Judging by her kiss back, she was buying his story.

Taking her hand he started to lead her to Jackie's flat, but then Rose asked a question with completely caught him off guard.

"I found your broken Sonic Screwdriver in the TARDIS drawer. How did you remake it away from the TARDIS in that dungeon you were talkin' about?"

He stumbled clumsily for an answer. "I…I…err…I have two." He applauded himself. Okay, so the stuttering wasn't all that necessary, but it was a good lie.

"Then why didn't you use it to put the crib up?"

Why did she have to ask so many difficult questions?! "Batteries were flat," he lied, and watched her face for her reaction as they reached the flat door. He'd made it. Through the skin of his teeth.

Slowly, he raised a hand to the doorbell, and pressed down hard.

* * *

Rose looked pale, but the Doctor looked even worse. 

"Oh my days, what happened?!" Jackie asked, staring at the Doctor standing before her.

He had burn marks all down his left side and looked as pale as healthy could be – though not as bad as the real Doctor had been. But he looked fed. It was horrible to think he would feed himself but leave his past self to die of malnutrition. She wanted to slap him. She wanted to scream at him.

But she couldn't.

At least, not yet.

They didn't feel inclined to answer her – instead they all just looked elsewhere – even Rory stayed silent for once in his mother's arms. Jackie had to break the silence.

"Oh, it's freezin' out there, come in all of you, you look like Death havin' a hangover."

They obliged, Rose giving Rory to Jackie as he slipped back into sleep again. Jackie's room had been partially converted into a Nursery, so she took him there. She would sooner like to take him to the spare room, but she didn't want to disturb the Doctor and Rory might start yelling.

Once they were all settled in the sitting room, Rose was the one to tell their story. But before she even got to the Doctor's black lie he had to take over, as she was just too tired and ill to keep talking. The Doctor realised as untruth after untruth spilled out his mouth that he was just continually lying to everyone he knew and loved. He was wearing a mask that didn't fit him, and he felt bad inside.

This wasn't what it was supposed to be like. They were supposed to be happy. They were supposed to be a family again, and instead he was just spilling out lie after lie after lie. Get up, get dressed, tell ten lies before breakfast.

She was supposed to love him. In all those nights of planning back in his other TARDIS, alone in his double bed, he had visioned it. Capturing his other self was supposed to be the hard part, not this. This was supposed to be the easy part.

But fate was refusing him his happy ending.

He took the sofa for sleep whilst Rose had her room, as Jackie claimed she was cleaning out the spare bedroom.

Meanwhile, Jackie was wondering how the hell she was getting away with the sounds coming from the spare bedroom. She had claimed she'd left the radio on when asked what the voices were, but thankfully they stopped about the time broadcast ended on some stations, so no more questions were asked.

Jackie waited until she was sure they were both asleep before she entered the spare room to check on the Doctor. Sleeping – if but a little distractedly.

The door to the spare room luckily had a lock but it seemed unethical to lock him in there. But there was the danger with the temptation of going to see Rose before the time was right.

She decided to lock it from the outside and take the key with her, but leave a note on the inside to say if he needed anything he should knock on her wall and whisper it through. Yes, this was going to get him annoyed. But it was the only way to save him from himself.

Literally.

* * *

**A/N:** It's hard to choose what part I should give you, because the chapters from now until the end just have so much in them. 

_Chapter 25 – Rubber Walls Are Bouncy_

_**Hello Doctor, **_

_**I know what you're thinking, and it is what it looks like. I've locked you in. I have the key and you don't have your Sonic Screwdriver, so don't even try to get out. I'm sorry I had to do this, but it's the only way to save you. Knock on my wall and whisper if you need anything. **_

_**Love Jackie xxx **_

_He blinked, re-reading the note again as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. No. This was practically torture. She couldn't stop him from seeing Rose. She just couldn't._


	25. Rubber Walls Are Bouncy

**A/N: **Thirty-two chapters in total, and I have written all of them. Most of the chapters from now until the end are meant to be pretty emotional, especially the whole Doctor-Doctor confrontation thing. Like a typical writer, I had a look at the scene I'd written then thought 'Hmm, it's okay...but how can I make it better?' which is why two more chapters mysteriously appeared out of nowhere. I think I'm pushing the boundaries of the Doctor's emotions a bit here.

And the series three Doctor is not as heartbroken as this. Well, he is, but he's very good at keeping it bottled up inside. I swear he almost cried twice last episode O.o

* * *

Chapter 25 – Rubber Walls Are Bouncy

The Doctor awoke half in and half out of the bed with the cover wrapped tightly around him, covered in cold sweat and gasping for breath. He had just had a nightmare and it was terrifying to recall. He had watched helpless and trapped as his doppelganger had hurt Rose and Rory right infront of his eyes, laughing with joy.

Of course, he wanted to believe it had been his doppelganger – but it could have been either of them. No. He'd never hurt Rose or Rory. Never in a million lifetimes. Well, thirteen, really.

Maybe his doppelganger already had hurt them?

He paled dramatically to white, launching out of bed and bolting over to the door. He needed badly to check Rose and Rory, just to see…

The door was held shut fast, and wasn't opening. Was it…locked? Something was pinned to the door, a note, to which he took and instantly recognised the scribbled writing as Jackie's.

**Hello Doctor, **

** I know what you're thinking, and it _is _what it looks like. I've locked you in. I have the key and you don't have your Sonic Screwdriver, so don't even try to get out. I'm sorry I had to do this, but it's the only way to save you. Knock on my wall and whisper if you need anything. **

** Love Jackie xxx **

He blinked, re-reading the note again as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. No. This was practically torture. She couldn't stop him from seeing Rose. She just couldn't.

He dropped the note onto the floor, leaping over to Jackie's wall and whacking his fist hard on it.

"Wake up!" he hissed, continually beating the plaster wall with his fist. "Jackie!"

"Doctor! Pipe down! The whole bloomin' street can 'ear ya!" came a sleepy reply from Jackie's side of the wall, but the Doctor was furious.

"Well good! Maybe they'll know you've put me in isolation!" he half said, half whispered back.

"It's for ya own good, Doctor," she said gently. "Hush, Rory's sleepin'."

He seemed to quieten a little, though still had an angry edge to his voice.

"You can't do this to me Jackie!"

"I just have Doctor. Now, unless ya want Rory to wake up and start cryin' I suggest you go back to bed. G'night, Doctor."

He sighed heavily, looking up to the closed door and cursing under his breath. Give him some rubber wallpaper and a chew toy and he was a diagnosed mental patient. He leant back against the wall, staring to the sky and whispering a Gallifreyan prayer to Rassilon – just for reassurance.

Suddenly he heard voice from outside his door, and he instantly went silent. It was Rose and himself.

"Did you sleep okay last night?" he heard himself ask Rose, and at once something burned with fury inside.

"Yeah, I feel a lot better."

The Doctor sighed with relief. She was okay.

"Good," his self said. "D'you want me to ask Jackie if we can stay another night?"

"Wow, I didn't know you cared that much," she laughed. _His _laugh. Oh, this was sickening.

"Just love you to death, that's all."

"Aww, I love you."

"I love you too." And the sound of footsteps softly walking away shortly followed.

And then it struck him.

The possibility that once presented with a choice between him and his doppelganger, who would Rose actually _choose? _

By the sounds of it this guy had made an impact, and Rose seemed to be totally oblivious to the switch. If the Doctor just came waltzing in one day and declared that he was the real Doctor…would she even _consider _him?

He blinked back tears. Since when could a human woman cause him _this_ much emotional torture? He sank to the floor dejectedly, wondering why the entire world seemed to be against him this morning.

Slowly he turned, lightly knocking on Jackie's bedroom wall again, only to be answered with a lengthy groan.

"What?" she asked, sounding less than awake and slightly annoyed.

"I need the loo," he said smally.

"I'm not fallin' for that one," she answered, and then the light snoring started up again and the Doctor lapsed into silence.

* * *

All his meals so far today had come through the cat flap in the door, so it really was quite surprising when the door unlocked at 6:00pm and Jackie was stood there, a full tray of dinner in hand. She checked him over, he was fully dressed in the clothes he had worn when arrived – Jackie having washed them for him – and was sitting on the bed, arms folded lightly. 

"You're in luck, they went out tonight," she said, sitting on the bed next to him and putting down the tray. She watched him as he turned over away from her on the bed, staring at the far wall. "I'm really sorry Doctor, I know this must be killin' ya, but it's the best thing to do."

He grunted as a form of reply, but didn't turn back around. Jackie continued to watch him – he didn't give anything away.

"Look at me, Doctor," she said gently tentively touching his shoulder. He shrugged it off, curling further in on himself. "Don't be like this."

She reached out to him again, but this time he let Jackie turn him over, though his head was still staring at the far wall. She cupped his chin and turned his face gently towards her, seeing tears in his eyes.

"I lost her," he whispered, and Jackie instantly regretted locking him in here all day. He'd had time to _think _about everything. "I lost her and now she loves him and I'm no one."

"Aww sweetheart, you 'aven't lost 'er," she drew him into a motherly hug. "We've just gotta wait for our time, okay?"

"I've been…waiting for…for two weeks now…" he gasped between breaths for the tears running quickly and constantly down his face.

"It'll be soon Doctor, don't give it up. They've been arguin' all day, they're really beginnin' to 'ate each other."

"She said…she…she loved him this…morn-morning and…"

"Believe me, I think if things don't straighten out soon one of them is gonna completely shut the other out. Don't give it up. Not now. She asked me whether she should leave 'im this afternoon."

He didn't say anything in reply. He doubted her so much right now, and she couldn't really make him see sense. He really loved her daughter – it was plain to see.

Only once before had she had to hold a crying Doctor, and that was at the death of his baby girl. It took a lot to make him cry – in nine hundred years of space and time travel he must have seen some terrible sights, and now her daughter, her human daughter was turning the waterworks on of one of the most hardened men in the Universe.

He was just crying into her quietly now, glad of the consoling hug. Jackie glanced down at the tray she had brought in, making a snap decision as she reached out to it.

"Here, drink'll make ya feel better," she offered, holding up the glass of milk to his lips and tipping it up. He gulped it down obediently until it was completely drained, too tired and weak to care that Jackie was treating him like a toddler as she caringly wiped his mouth. She smiled gently at him, an action that he tried to return, but failed dismally.

Only she knew as he slowly began to slump against her was that she had put a dissolving sleeping tablet into it, the dosage strong enough to take down an elephant in a given length of time. She knew since being an alien he'd need a stronger dosage then any average human.

Soon he was totally asleep, so she kindly eased him down onto the bed, fluffing the pillows and making sure he looked totally comfortable before getting up off of the bed. He just needed some sleep. He hadn't slept properly since he'd arrived, and by the sounds of things he hadn't the previous week either. He needed a lot of rest since his ordeal and he just wasn't getting it.

Jackie got to her feet, taking one last look at the Doctor before she disappeared to track down Rory.

* * *

Rory Alexia Sigma-Tyler was growing extremely fast. 

He was only just over two months old and already he was starting to look extremely toddler-ish, a nice blondy-browny hair colour growing thick on his head and halfway down his ears. He'd been trying to learn how to walk on his own by using the sides of tables and settees – resulting in a lot of falling over and crying.

But he was also tremendously good at hiding.

It took Jackie five minutes to find him – eventually she discovered him sitting in a food cupboard eating the Coco Pops with jam smeared all over his face, giggling inanely at her with innocent eyes.

"Oh sweetie, what we gonna do with you and ya daddy, eh?" she asked with a smile, whizzing him off to the bathroom in order to remove the jam from his face. God only knew where he had got the jam from – she didn't even think she had any.

But even as she washed him, Jackie noticed something was wrong. He kept looking over to the door, saying the word 'daddy' over and over again. He _knew _the Doctor was here. He _knew _his dad was somewhere nearby.

Jackie dried him carefully with the towel, taking note of him and he started making uninterpretable noises in his throat – looking almost as though he was about to cry. Eventually he _did_ start to cry, and Jackie hugged him tight and tried to soothe the child as best she could. But he just continued to cry not matter how hard she tried. There was only one thing she could do.

She had to take him to his dad.

* * *

**A/N:** Like I said before, so much to choose from, but I think this is one we all wanna hear...: 

Chapter 26 – When The Boys Get The Girls

_ "Mummy, meet daddy," Rory suddenly said, still sitting on the bed – but now he was grinning._


	26. When The Boys Get The Girls

**A/N: **Have I got anything to ramble on about? Nah. Don't think so. (Cheers for all reviewers so far) It's about time I thanked you all again. You're all awesome :D

Umm, you know I said I'd finished it? Technically not. Though, I'm only adjusting one at the moment, coz I was watching Torchwood the other day and I realised I'd unconsciously written a scene extremely like a bit from it, so I had to adjust it before you all said I copied...but I didn't mean to! And before you ask, no it wasn't the Jack Harkness thing. That would just be...wrong.

* * *

Chapter 26 – When The Boys Get The Girls

Jackie Tyler gently opened the door to the spare bedroom with her available hand, the other acting as a seat to Rory. She flicked on the light. The Doctor's sleeping form appeared on the bed where she had left him barely twenty minutes ago, Rory almost squealing in delight and jumping out of Jackie's arms.

She held him a lot tighter, slowly walking over to the bed and sitting down in a chair to the side. She finally let Rory go, and he clambered quickly over the bed to his dad's chest. He poked the Doctor's arm, but it was limp.

"Daddy," he started, climbing onto the Doctor's chest and crawling to his head, sitting cross-legged on his ribs. "Wake up now."

Jackie suddenly felt extremely guilty for sending the Doctor to sleep, knowing all this child wanted was for his dad to wake up and give him a kiss.

"Daddy!" he repeated, louder. "Wake up!"

Nothing.

Tears began to well up in the little boy's eyes as he took the Doctor's shirt in hand, pulling oh so gently on it.

"Please daddy, wake up…please…you need to save mummy…" On no reaction, he started to cry, pushing his dad's chest at intervals. He carried on doing it for ten seconds, before he flipped alarmingly quickly – suddenly started to get angry.

"Wake up!!!" he screamed. "WAKE UP!"

The Doctor didn't even bat an eyelid as Rory started jumping up and down on him.

Jackie tried to scoop him up; concerned that he would almost start hurting himself or the Doctor. But surprisingly, he fought off her with ease and edged further up his dad – until he had his hands on his face. He eased his hands up to his dad's temples, and closed his eyes.

The Doctor's eyes flew open in an instant, fear apparent in his eyes. He registered Rory and his hands immediately flew up to Rory's temples, eyes closing again.

Rory suddenly let go, eyes flying open as he sprung backwards from the Doctor, crying out with laughter.

"Bad Rory," the Doctor said scoldingly in a weak tone as he opened his eyes half-wide and let go of the psychic connection. "Don't ever do that again, not 'til you're old enough. That could have seriously hurt you, y'know."

Rory just giggled at the possibility. He fell forwards, sprawled out onto his dad's chest with his arms spread out – too small to hug his dad all the way around.

The Doctor hugged him back loosely, unable to gather enough energy for a proper

one. He looked over at Jackie with tired eyes – and she saw him smile for the first time since he'd washed up. He didn't need to say the words when his smile of sheer gratitude said it all.

"I told him I'd find you," Rory murmured into the Doctor. "I told him we'd win."

"Whinin' git!" came Rose's sudden voice from the other room accompanied with the sound of a slamming door. The Doctor went rigid. "What the _hell _has got into you recently?!"

"Blaming _me _again, I see!" he heard his doppelganger's voice ring out, and even Rory quickly got off of his dad's chest and curled up under his arm.

"That's because it's _your _fault!"

"Since _when?!" _the doppelganger screamed back, and the Doctor held Rory tighter – trying to cover the child's ears.

"You never admit when you're _wrong, _do you?! You're _wrong, _Doctor! WRONG!"

"I can't be as wrong as _you _always are! How many times have I saved your ass now? Close to five billion!"

Jackie walked quickly over to the door, opening it a crack so she could see the blazing couple. Rose was just standing screaming by the television, the Doctor pacing the room.

"That isn't what this relationship is about!"

"Then what's it about Rose? What? Am I just your servant?! Is that my purpose?!"

"How can you _think _that?!"

Jackie knew the Doctor would have to see this for himself. She quickly crossed over to the Doctor and slipped an arm around his ribs, the other arm taking Rory – who'd gone quiet at the sound of his parents arguing. She supported the Doctor as he got up, taking him slowly and carefully over to the door and easing him down onto his knees, letting him peer through the crack in the door.

"I'm fed up with you ordering me about Rose!" the Doctor's double yelled angrily, fists clenching tightly as he tried to contain himself.

"I thought you loved me?!"

"Don't you understand?! You're just a stupid little ape with no sense of what's dangerous and what isn't!"

"You think you're amazin', don't you? You don't care about other people's feelings! I can't believe I didn't see this before! Mum was so right about you; I should've listened and trusted her, left you before all this started!"

"Just shut up! Shut the hell up!"

"I thought I had you sussed! But you're nothin' but a lyin', two-faced, stuck up, stupid, arrogant bastard!"

"SHUT UP!"

"And to think I'm carryin' another of your children in here!"

The present Doctor went white.

"YOU'RE LYING! SHUT UP!" the Doctor's double shouted again, steaming with anger the likes of which Rose had never seen before from him. "SHUT UP YOU STUPID WOMAN!" He grabbed a china vase from the nearby side table, raising it above his head in an impulse of anger, hatred and guilt. He looked ready to hit her.

Jackie had to set Rory down onto the bed and clamp a hand over the present Doctor's mouth, holding him in place as the scene took place infront of him. He looked ready to scream and cry, both at the same time.

The Doctor's double brought down the vase, narrowly missing Rose's head and instead hitting the dresser to her right, the impact breaking the vase and wounding his hand as the broken shards of pottery cut into his skin.

Unable to control the Doctor any longer, Jackie dragged him roughly back from the crack in the door and slammed him against the wall. He squirmed, tried to get free – get to Rose. Jackie pushed him even harder by his shoulder, giving him a stern, straight look. He didn't seem to register her as he continued to fight against her, but he was too weak to put up much of a fight.

But they were stationary and silent for the line from Rose to the other Doctor, the line which ripped his hearts clean out of his chest.

"…Who are you, Doctor?" she whispered.

Footsteps were coming towards them now, and Rose entered the room seconds later with tears streaming down her face. She glanced up, intending to go to her mum and sob into her – but found her mum restraining a very impossible man with her left hand pushing against his shoulder into the wall, the other hand over his mouth to stop him screaming. His hands were bandaged, thicker at the wrists.

Instantly Rose opened her mouth, ready to scream herself – but her mum instantly flew out with her left hand and clamped it over Rose's mouth too.

"Shh," Jackie hushed, tentively letting go of the both of them and raising a finger to her lips, looking at them both in turn.

She continued this action as she walked out of the doorway into the sitting room, where the other Doctor was standing staring at his own blooded hand.

"C'mon, let's get to the TARDIS Infirmary and sort out that hand," Jackie said softly to him, before leading him quietly out of the front door – and the flat was silent once more.

For a moment neither of them spoke.

"Mummy, meet daddy," Rory suddenly said, still sitting on the bed – but now he was grinning.

Slowly, Rose raised her hand to the Doctor's head, curling her hand around to the back of his skull, searching out the bump. For a moment her heart raced as she couldn't find it – but then something traced under her fingertips…and she smiled.

"My Doctor," she whispered and launched onto him in a huge hug, her arms squeezing his ribs tightly as tears of sorrow suddenly became tears of joy. He was laughing now, holding her securely as though he'd never let go.

"Please tell me you were lying…" he suddenly whispered, moving his hands from around her back to her hips, then finally to the womb infront.

"No lie," she whispered back, pressing both his hands on her womb with her own. "Two little Doctors on the way again."

"Oh Rose, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay…" she started, but the Doctor cut her short.

"I'm so sorry for putting you through so much. For getting your pregnant. For making you stay with him. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the Doctor said over and over again to finish, putting his arms back around her to hold her again. "There was nothing I could do to stop him I swear…did he hurt you?"

She shook her head, giving a small sniff. "Please tell me what the hell is goin' on," she said quietly into his chest, "your hands…"

The Doctor raised one of his bandaged hands infront of his eyes, staring at the wrists.

"You might wanna sit down…"

* * *

**A/N: **Apologies for the badly written chapter :-/ And I bet that pregnancy thing caught you by surprise, didn't it? XD 

The next chapter is _extremely _cheesy, a sort of comic relief just before the confrontation. You have been warned!

_Chapter 27 – My Hamster Ate My Condoms_

_ "I…" the Doctor heard his doppelganger start again. "I just want to know…do I have to say goodbye?" _

_ "…I don't think either of us know the answer to that one yet," Rose replied shortly._


	27. My Hamster Ate My Condoms

**A/N: **Got the novels today. 'The Last Dodo' is so funny! Also extremely weird. I'm making my way through 'The Wooden Heart' now - I'm a quick reader :P The Doctor got his foot caught in a bear trap O.o I shall say no more :P

* * *

Chapter 27 – My Hamster Ate My Condoms

She listened carefully to his story, gasping and holding him wherever needed. She was not in the least bit surprised to learn of the doppelganger's true identity, and even tossed in that the Doctor was a right prick without her. Surprisingly, she was staying quite calm as the story spilt constantly out his mouth.

As he reached the part about landing him and Rory into the Atlantic, she noticed his bandages were slowly starting to seep blood over them and knew they had to be changed. He wasn't over keen on her looking before he got a chance to tell her how it had happened, but she had smiled and told him she'd never assumed suicide in the first place.

Obviously at some point the aspirin incident was going to come to light.

As he finished his tale, he and Rose were sitting on the bed in each other's arms, Rory asleep on the Doctor. It was past 9:00pm and Jackie and his doppelganger were still at the TARDIS, so Rose began to tell her tale too. It was only until they were both updated on everything that had happened since they'd last seen each other did they feel inclined to relax.

"Hide under my bed," Rose was saying, "c'mon, I'm not gonna let him near me and he's not gonna ask questions. Just be with me tonight."

"I wish I could, Rose…"

"Sleep with her," a voice suddenly interrupted him from the doorway. Jackie. The Doctor blinked in surprise straining his head up, as if he was expecting to see his doppelganger lingering behind her.

"Where is he?" he asked, and Jackie nodded to her right, out to the TARDIS.

"'E won't be back tonight, Doctor. You're safe 'til mornin'."

The Doctor looked at her with a frown, trying to figure it all out in his head.

"Why are you doing this, Jackie?" the Doctor asked gently. "You could've just left me to die."

To his surprise, she just rolled her eyes at him with a dramatic sigh.

"You're family now Doctor. You'd better start gettin' used to it. When you first washed up, I was scared. Then ya woke up. I was terrified. I was terrified for _you_. Because you went through so much and you told me exactly what. I thought ya had it all out, but ya just got worse and worse, and I finally realised it was genuine, and it was for your family. You're no better than the rest of us, Doctor. You need a hand to 'old too. People 'ave just gotta start offerin' it to ya…because I don't think many do, do they?" she paused, letting it all sink in before she added, _"that's _why."

The Doctor looked down at little sleeping Rory, obviously embarrassed as Rose took this in. She smiled at her mum, and the Doctor could sense the mother-daughter communication whizzing back and forth at the speed of light.

"You cried for me?" She smiled, lifting his chin up to look at her beaming face with a finger.

"I had something in my eye," he said lamely, looking to Rory again, Rose giggled, brushing his unnaturally heated cheek with a finger before planting a small, adoring kiss in its path. Rose had never seen anyone turn so utterly pink.

Jackie was smiling at his expense now.

"Oh Rose sweetheart, you should've seen 'im, 'e was blubbin' all over me!"

He gave her an extremely evil glare, though seemed to be enjoying the attention Rose was now giving him. Jackie noted this, and felt immediately compelled to move them before they got too involved.

"C'mon, off to bed with the both of ya, maybe ya can get some proper sleep."

"Did I mention she locked me in here?" the Doctor asked Rose mildly as she picked up Rory and kissed him gently on the forehead. The Doctor followed suit, before Rose gave Rory to her mother and proceeded to help the Doctor up.

"My bed's only a single, but I'm sure we'll manage." Rose beamed as Jackie disappeared with Rory to the bedroom, Rose supporting the Doctor as he smiled gently back, all pains ignored. "Can you fix your wrists?"

He hesitated for a moment, before nodding. "Reach into my right pocket a sec, would you? You're looking for a long, thin glass tube with a rubber stop.

She did so, frowning in concentration as she searched for the object mentioned.

"Doctor, I swear you've got somethin' livin' in here," she commented, her entire arm now disappearing into it.

"Oh, that'll be Hammy," the Doctor said off-handedly, "my hamster." Rose stared at him.

"You've got a hamster in here?!"

"Wouldn't go anywhere without him!" the Doctor smiled. "Check the other pocket then. Never put anything rubber in the same pocket as Hammy. He's got his own food bowl but he loves rubber. I put a packet of three in there once, and they were gone the next morning."

"…You're _completely_ mental." She produced the vial from his pocket, holding it up to the light. Whizzing around in its confined space at least a quarter full were quite a few specks of golden light, and Rose recognised them instantly.

"Nanogenes?" she asked, confused. "But I thought they'd all gone?"

"I kept a few handy. For emergencies and all that." He checked them carefully with his eyes, before gesturing for her to undo the bandages on his hands. She did so, still wincing at the deepness of the cuts through his wrists. Carefully, she tied his hands gently together like Jack had with her rope burns, and then reached for the glass tube again, popping off the top and holding it over his wrists.

The both of them watched, mesmerised, as the remaining couple of nanogenes buzzed about over his wrists, healing the torn skin effectively until they were completely gone. The nanogenes instantly flew back up into the air, sniffing out their next healing mission – his wounded head. They mended it without flaw and nearly buzzed off out of the window but Rose was quick to scoop them up in the tube in one swift movement and replaced the rubber stop. She proceeded to untie his hands, kissing his fully healed wrists softly.

"Healing kisses," she said at his look of surprise, and he reached out to grab the nanogenes back to examine the contents.

"Work for me," he said with a smile, slipping the now hardly filled tube back into his pocket. He looked down at her again, acknowledging her tired expression. "I think we both need some sleep," he stated more than suggested. Rose nodded in agreement, taking his hand and pulling him towards the door – checking at all times it wasn't hurting him.

Rose _said _she had a single bed, but the cover was huge and with a little repositioning, sharing it was fine. For a while they just laid there and talked, though they didn't even _attempt _to try anything else, since even if the Doctor tried to move his leg he'd probably fall off the bed.

The clock struck midnight before they finally stopped talking, and Rose's light breathing started up. He made sure she was asleep before he allowed himself to relax, holding her protectively against him as he also dropped away, the nightmares of his future self now becoming beautiful, relaxing dreams of the things he loved.

* * *

The next morning, the Doctor awoke to a strong hand being clamped over his mouth, and someone wrenching back the covers firmly from him and Rose. He squirmed and flipped over, seeing Jackie staring up and down him. He immediately became self-conscious with the little amount of clothes he was actually wearing, curling up into a ball as Rose turned over groggily. 

"Mum?" she asked drowsily.

"Oh Doctor it's not like I 'aven't see it before, pull yourself together!" she whispered, letting go of his mouth and dragging him out the bed by his arm roughly.

"Tell the whole Universe!" the Doctor whispered back, wondering slightly why they were being so quiet.

"I've been on this planet for forty years and I swear I 'ave not seen anythin' like it," Jackie whispered, the Doctor went slightly red. "He's comin', you gotta hide…"

The Doctor was alert almost immediately, looking quickly around the room for a place to hide. Jackie disappeared back out of the door as Rose gestured for him to go under the bed, to which he obliged and dived under. But mere seconds later there was knocking on the door and Rose called, and the Doctor's doppelganger stepped through.

"Hi Rose," he said weakly and nervously. He warily stepped forward, not even daring to make eye contact with her.

"Hello," she said curtly, nose upturned.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up. I didn't sleep all night."

The Doctor didn't even dare to breath under the bed. Even the slightest movement or sound his doppelganger would be able to hear, and then the Doctor would be done for.

"Neither did I," he heard Rose say. What a lie. She'd slept soundly the entire night, content only when she could feel _her_ Doctor's arms around her body.

"I…" he heard himself start again. "I just want to know…do I have to say goodbye?"

"…I don't think either of us know the answer to that one yet," Rose replied shortly.

There was a pause, and the Doctor wondered for a moment whether his doppelganger had left. But seconds later the floorboard creaked and he saw his own feet just infront of his face. He could almost see the scene infront of him. His doppelganger was touching her, caressing her cheek. Something extremely hot boiled inside him as he resisted the urge to lash out and grab the feet.

"I just want you know that I'll always love you not matter what, and that I'm sorry."

The Doctor felt him lean in for the kiss, to which Rose accepted. He was at boiling point now. He swore if he had to sit through much more of this he was going to implode.

He heard the kiss part and his doppelganger stand up, thanking Rassilon he wasn't holding a sharp implement because he'd probably have used it by now. He wasn't usually one for violence, he'd opt for brains over brawn anytime - but when it came to the protection of his family he was willing to kill, literally.

The footfalls went over to the door, and shortly disappeared into nothingness. Seconds later Rose appeared beaming all over, and he rolled out from underneath the bed, staring at her smiling face.

"Did he kiss you?!" he demanded in a whisper, still laying on the floor and facing to the ceiling. She nodded. "On the lips?!" She nodded again. He swore in a language the TARDIS did not find appropriate to translate, and Rose blushed.

"Shh, he's in the living room waitin' for me," Rose whispered back, kissing him gently on the lips for a brief few seconds before drawing back to look at him again. "That fair?"

"No, a little more," he whispered with a smile, and Rose rolled her eyes at him.

"Later, flyboy."

"_So _not fair," the Doctor muttered, accepting Rose's hand up onto his feet and stepping over to the door. "I have to confront him," he whispered.

"In your boxers?"

He looked down at himself, dressed in nothing but a pair of black boxer shorts – and scratched his ear nervously.

"Ah."

"I need to get dressed too, anyway," Rose whispered, and the Doctor quickly turned, stepping back towards her.

"Still, no sense rushing things," he insisted casually.

"Oh, you pervert." Rose smiled suggestively, picking up her t-shirt from next to his, still abandoned on the floor.

"Man," the Doctor corrected.

* * *

**A/N: **I've been editing it a lot, so it's not exactly finished. Oh, and there a three parts to "That Big Scene" but...the suspense is really only in two. The most weak-stomached of you might go mental though... __

_Chapter 28 – "That Big Scene" Part One_

_ "I'm not here for the small talk." _

_ The doppelganger seemed to sigh. _

_ "Oh, you still moaning about the whole switching places thing?" _

_ "Hadn't even crossed my mind." The Doctor took another tentative step forwards, Rose and Jackie watching him with baited breath._


	28. “That Big Scene” Part One

**A/N: **Bloomin' alerts...this site can _never _get it right, can they?

I finished all three books :) Told ya I was a fast reader! The Sting Of The Zygons was incredible, so funny! Not as funny as The Last Dodo, mind. You just can't beat the Doctor running down the high street covered in raw meat being chased by sabre-toothed tigers, oh no. The Wooden Heart is pretty moving, a nice perfect little Doctor Who novel with a typical Doctor Who ending. Very sweet though. I can't say anymore, can I? Oh well. The details of the next three novels have been released, Wetworld looks good, Sick Building doesn't seem to actually be related to Doctor Who and Forever Autmn looks like a typical novel.

And That Question was asked. You know who you are! The truth is...I don't know. I'll talk a little more in later chapters about that kinda thing, maybe. But I'm not really sure. Really does depends, y'know.

And as for this, it's meant to be emotional and moving...haha, like I could ever do that. And I'm giving you it on the premises that one, you don't kill me and two...I'll tell you at the end...

* * *

Chapter 28 – "That Big Scene" Part One

The Doctor stepped through from Rose's bedroom to the hallway, meeting Jackie holding Rory in the door opposite, who was sucking on a bottle of banana flavoured milkshake happily. Jackie nodded to the Doctor, and then Rose as she filed out the door after him, all remaining silent as they all walked warily into the sitting room – where the Doctor's doppelganger was still standing, hands in pockets, staring out the window to the estate below.

"So you escaped the sharks," he suddenly said, not even turning around.

"No thanks to you," the Doctor replied curtly, leading the group into the room, raising a hand behind him to stop them following. He carried on alone, walking through the gaps between the sofas to the rug by the fireplace – merely metres from his future self.

"I wondered how long I'd be able to hold it up." His doppelganger still hadn't turned to face him – still gazing dreamily out of the window. Below him children were playing football on the street, not caring if they tripped and fell they'd hurt themselves on the concrete. He missed that. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"I'm not here for the small talk."

The doppelganger seemed to sigh.

"Oh, you still moaning about the whole switching places thing?"

"Hadn't even crossed my mind." The Doctor took another tentative step forwards, Rose and Jackie watching him with baited breath.

"I suppose I'd better apologise. Where can we possibly start?" the doppelganger asked the window wilfully. "We could start with the bus crash, couldn't we? Or maybe the Darkeese continuously hunting after you? Or even the part where I abducted you and purposely didn't feed you out of pure spite?" He paused, waiting for his double to retaliate, but he didn't say a word. "Or, if you like, we could start with little Eva."

"I wouldn't go there," the Doctor said lowly and darkly. "You're not even me. You stopped being me the night Rose Tyler died, didn't you? You became something else altogether…and the proof of the pudding is all right here infront of us, isn't it? Because you did it. You actually did it. You killed your son," the Doctor said, his voice low and serious. His doppelganger visibly started to shake, suppressing a wild emotion.

"I didn't kill him," he said firmly.

"You meant for us to drown. Well you half succeeded. You would've got me too, if Rory wasn't his mother's son."

"_I didn't kill him_."

"What did you do then? Give him a little challenge?!"

"I DIDN'T KILL HIM!" the doppelganger suddenly screamed, furious. He span around smoothly with a weapon clutched in his right hand, pointing straight at the Doctor. The Doctor was given enough time to see the black automatic colt 45 pointing straight at his head, before the trigger squeezed out two shots in succession.

The first one went astray, but the second one went straight for his head.

Pain seared across his forehead almost instantly as the Doctor cried out in shock - not even having enough time wonder why the hell his doppelganger carried around an automatic pistol before he collapsed to the floor. Rose cried out in alarm, rushing forward towards him, but another shot to her left made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Stay back!" the doppelganger commanded, pointing the gun straight at Rose's womb threateningly. "Or I'll shoot!"

Rose went automatically white, instinctively throwing her arms around her womb to protect the embryos of the two tiny Time Lords hidden away inside. What had the Doctor said? Her entire outer framed was practically made of concrete.

…It sure didn't feel like it.

Nervously, she backed away, not losing eye contact with the doppelganger. His gun was still raised to her womb as he stepped forward towards the Doctor lying on the floor. He moved to grab him but instead found himself nearly being thrown to the floor as a sudden, strong hand grabbed his arm holding the gun and attempted to twist it around.

"I'd get that thing away from them if I were you!" the Doctor gasped, pulling with all of his strength through the uncomfortable cloud of unconsciousness threatening to overwhelm him as he scrambled frantically for the gun, desperately trying to gain the upper hand.

The doppelganger fought against the hold, suddenly regretting how he'd spent all those days walking directly past the gym as the scuffle turned into battle of the strongest man. He tried to keep a firm grip on the gun, but his past self was much stronger than he was. He had no choice.

He squeezed the trigger.

He heard his double cry out as the grip on his arm dramatically loosened. He instantly snapped to attention registering his other self lying prone on the floor, apparently unconscious. It wasn't hard to see why. Luckily the bullet had only caught him in the foot so there was no real threat to his life, at least, not yet. Soon it would be bleeding and there was no doubt it was painful.

He didn't waste any time. Yes, it was cruel, but he had to make his position known. He grabbed his past self's shirt collar and dragging him backwards away from Rose, Jackie and Rory – who'd by now started to cry in his grandmother's arms. He dragged him back towards the window, pulling him up so he was kneeling down and facing towards the company leaning back heavily against his future self.

The Doctor had blood snaking down his face from a gash in his forehead, still bleeding. The doppelganger lowered his gun from pointing at Rose, and instead he pressed it to the back of the Doctor's head.

"Wake up!" The doppelganger gave the unconscious Doctor an angry shove, his left arm hooked around the Doctor's neck to keep him upright. "Wake up, now!"

The Doctor stirred slightly, groaning as the pain from his head hit him. He swayed slightly in the doppelganger's arms, before realising his predicament and groaning for a second time. Rose breathed a quiet sigh of relief – it was pretty stupid, but for a second she thought the Doctor had been seriously hurt.

"Any of you try anything and I swear to Rassilon I will pull this trigger four times until he is truly dead," the doppelganger warned.

"But wouldn't you be killin' yaself too?" Jackie suddenly pointed out unexpectedly. "If you kill yaself in the past then you'd be dead in the future…then neither of you win."

"If _I _can't have Rose, neither of us will," he replied simply.

"If you kill my last body…" the Doctor suddenly started weakly, his eyes closing again in an attempt to stop the world spinning. "It's an amazing paradox…because you can't kill yourself at an earlier stage in your life…because you wouldn't exist in the future to time travel back and kill yourself in the past…"

"D'you think I care?!"

"How did you do it? The Blinovitch Limitation Effect…"

"I bypassed _both _forms of Blinovitch Limitation Effect. I made the soft time-loop, and crossed our time-streams. It's possible because I made it possible, now _shut up." _The doppelganger jerked the gun roughly into the back of his head again, hand visibly tightening.

"Please, Doctor…" Rose whispered, meeting the eyes of the doppelganger. "Don't do this. I love you. I _need_ you. I need you and Rory needs you. We all need you. But it can't go on like this."

"But it's not fair!" the doppelganger screamed, ramming the gun harder into the side of the Doctor's head, angry with both the Doctor kneeling at his mercy and himself. "Why her?! WHY?!"

"No one deserves to lose someone they love," Jackie said sensitively, and suddenly the answer became apparent. "I lost Pete. He didn't deserve to die. He didn't ask for it."

The room went quiet, the doppelganger plainly taking heed as he began to mull it all over.

"I loved Pete," Jackie continued, knowing she was getting somewhere from the expression on his face. "I still do. It may not have seemed like it at the time – but he was the only man I ever truly loved. But I lost him. And I still don't know why."

The doppelganger was shaking now.

"Believe me Doctor, the only question you'll ever keep askin' yaself is one word. One little word…and in the end it'll drive you to insanity. Why. Why them? What did they do to deserve it? Nothin'. They didn't do anythin'. That's just fate. And you can't stop it. I think you know that better than anyone else."

"…She was so young," he suddenly whispered, voice trembling. "I cried over and over again. It was all I could do to stop myself looking at my son's face and being reminded of it. I didn't kill him that night. I told him to stay out of the Console Room. I'd taught him how to operate the TARDIS and that boy is the most amazing boy in the Universe, because he went against everything and saved you despite how much like crap I'd been treating him. He risked his life for you. He could have just forgotten about you and only thought of himself."

"But what he chose to do is _you_, Doctor," Rose said, and although she was puzzled on why the future Doctor hadn't acquired his past self's injuries yet, she bottled her curiousity. "That's what you do. Maybe you've been so tied up in knots over it you've completely forgotten that he'd do as much for you as you'd do for him, because Rory isn't just a boy - he's your _son. _He's just _you_. And you're the most amazin' man in the Universe."

"I love him…" the doppelganger whispered, "I love both of you. But it all changed that night, didn't it? I denied my son. All I could ask myself was why it wasn't me. Why didn't _I _die in the flames? She was only human…just a stupid little amazing human being whom I love. Have loved, do love, and always will since the first night with the Nestene Consciousness."

Rose stared at him, finally realising they weren't dealing with something that wanted to take over the world – this was just a man trying to find love again. She blinked back tears, watching his eyes as he looked up, straight into hers.

"Rose, you saved me. You saved my soul. You taught me how to love again, what life's really about and I love you to death for it. I never told you why I went to that R and R centre before, and with good reason. But I was crazy. I lost everything in the War and I went mad. I was in such a dark place that I couldn't see the light – but then I found it. I found the light - in you."

Still Rose was stuck to the floor, unable to move for the shock about what she was hearing. She knew the Doctor had been a bit mellow when she'd first met him – but the Doctor? Mad? This was probably why he'd never wanted to tell her before.

"I just can't face a world without you. I just want to be happy again, and I've been so heartless throughout it all. I just can't express how much I love you in words. The power of words, Rose – and there's not enough power in them. We've had a few ups and downs, yes, but I'm just hoping you love me too." He swallowed. "…I'm sorry Rose, Jackie. I'm so sorry."

He pulled the trigger.

Rose screamed as the love of her life hit the floor, a small bullet shaped mark cut into the back of his skull but with no exit wound, the injury oozing blood through his hair and onto Jackie Tyler's carpet.

* * *

**A/N: **Now, that was just bad luck on the Doctor's part, wasn't it? Let me state my premises again. One, _please don't kill me_ and two, you...you're going to have to wait a bit for the next chapter. 

By a 'bit', I mean...a lot.

_ Chapter 29 – "That Big Scene" Part Two  
_

_ Anyone was yet to move; yet time was ticking slowly by. Rose raised her head to look at the doppelganger, one word playing on her lips as he stared wide-eyed at her, almost as if pulling the trigger had been an 'accident'._

_ "Murderer," she whispered hoarsely._


	29. “That Big Scene” Part Two

**A/N: **There, that wasn't too long a wait, was it? This story has somehow gained another chapter and another part to "That Big Scene" so it's now thirty-three chapters! Geez, wonder where I get 'em all from! I've also developed a fetish for Girls Aloud and my exams are in two weeks. Woo. (Waves flag)

Oh, and the Reapers, I hear you say? Patience! They shall appeared unto you soon...

And I just looked at my Primary School site. Absolute BSTARDS! THEY DIDN'T HAVE THAT WHEN I WAS THERE! I get one mention though :D I SO changed that school and I get one mention...not even named! Look:

Jordan Ricketts played extremely well with 5 wins out of 5 going into the final round! She lost a hard game to the eventual winner, from Exeter School, who finished with 51/2 points. Jordan was second overall and BEST girl - not good enough to beat Broadclyst's **best girl from three years ago, who finished first overall and was the first overall girl winner for ten years.**

(Is fuming)

* * *

Chapter 29 – "That Big Scene" Part Two

For a moment after Rose's scream, no one spoke. No one could. Rose felt numb over every single inch of her body as she stared down at him, the blooded mess she had once dared to call her boyfriend.

She had to do _something. Anything._

Jackie quickly turned Rory into face her, hugging him tightly to try and stop him crying even more. That was something a child shouldn't have to witness – and Rory Alexis Sigma-Tyler had.

Anyone was yet to move; yet time was ticking slowly by. Rose raised her head to look at the doppelganger, one word playing on her lips as he stared wide-eyed at her, almost as if pulling the trigger had been an 'accident'.

"Murderer," she whispered hoarsely.

She seemed to suck energy out of this word, getting her lead feet to move, even but a little slowly towards the Doctor lying prone and unmoving on the floor. Tears were fogging her vision as she knelt down next to him, daring to turn him over so he was facing upwards, hiding that horrible gaping head wound in the back of his skull – still bleeding even now.

"Oh God…" Rose managed to whisper out.

She slowly leant down as she curled her arms around his body not even caring for the people around her now. She lowered her lips to his, meeting him with a kiss of pure longing, despair and anguish. It seemed so long since she had last kissed him when infact it was that very same morning.

And then the reality hit her like a ton of bricks.

"NO!!!" she suddenly screamed after parting with him, clinging onto him desperately, as if her grip could somehow awaken him. "NO!!! PLEASE!!!" she screamed to the Heavens, tears now cascading down her cheeks. "NO, NO, NO, NO!!! COME BACK!!!"

The others could only watch on in shock as Rose Tyler's heart was suddenly ripped into a thousand pieces with a maniacal breakdown. The horrible thing was, no one could do anything. At all.

"No…" she choked, rocking back and forth erratically with him in her arms. It was heartbreaking to watch, even more so to be the cause of as the doppelganger discovered, watching the scene infront of him blankly.

Rose was on fire. Her heart was killing her and she needed to hurt someone for it. In her rage she involuntarily whacked the floor, although only succeeded in hurting her hand.

She forced herself to calm down, to breathe in deeply and calm her hysteria. It was the only way she'd be able to save him she knew, she couldn't think rationally if this image was getting into her head. She gave his reddened mouth another kiss for inner strength, feeling his blood all over her arms, face and shirt now, but she was past caring.

As she parted from him she noticed, with the utmost surprise, that he was still breathing.

"Doctor!" she yelled, shaking him roughly to try and get him awake. "Please Doctor if you can hear me, please wake up!"

"He can't hear you."

She felt a gentle hand rest on her shoulder, and immediately snapped alert as she realised it was the hand of his doppelganger, still alive. He had long since abandoned the gun on the table and seemed to be slightly surprised at what he was actually looking at.

Although, she still didn't attempt to push him away. "But…he's breathin'…"

"He's brain-dead," he muttered in reply. "And will remain that way until I die."

Rose didn't much care if she sounded rude right now, "yeah, and why the fuck aren't you dead yet?!"

As if on cue he suddenly frowned, clamping a hand to his forehead around about where her Doctor had his cut, pausing for a moment. When he drew his hand away, he involuntarily gasped as he saw the stain of his own crimson blood smeared on his palm.

Rose blinked; startled as the cut on the younger Doctor became absolute on his older self. This was it. The doppelganger obviously realised this as he looked up at Rose, the same pattern of blood trailing down his face as he spoke.

"Save him Rose," he whispered, the fear shining brightly in those deep brown orbs that had seen so much pain. So much blood. So much despair. "Neither of you deserve this. I am _so _sorry. Please, save hi-" then it took him by his foot.

He cried out in agony as the bullet drilled in, resisting the urge to curl up into a ball and cry away the last of his sanity. He had done this to himself. Quite why it didn't happen a lot sooner was still a mystery to him but none of that mattered right now. He was about to get shot through the head and he was absolutely terrified.

"SAVE HIM!" he screamed again, choking on tears of pure anger and pain. "PLEASE! I CAN BUY YOU SOME TIME BUT PLEASE!!! YOU HAVE TO SAVE HIM!!!"

"How?!" Rose screamed back, utterly clueless through the commotion of what was actually happening. "HOW?!"

And then he went rigid, and paled to absolute.

It took Rose a moment to realise what had happened, and then she saw the single drop of blood run down from amidst his scruffy brown hair, dropping onto his plain white shirt.

Ouch.

He seemed to be in shocked – and who could blame him? He had just been shot through the head with an invisible bullet. He wasn't a _person_, not anymore. He was just a sheet white ghost staring unblinkingly at the creamy coloured wallpaper Jackie had in her front room, hearing nothing but a faint buzz in his head somewhere, his only vision being of complete blackness.

The bullet the doppelganger had fired was now lodged in the centre of his brain – just sitting there, like a grenade about to explode at any minute. But it had already done its damage. Blood was gushing out of his head now and Rose still hadn't moved from the Doctor's side.

Wordlessly, he hit the floor, dead as could be.

Rose went white, and logic took over. If he died, her Doctor died. He was now dead. They were both now dead.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry…" Jackie's voice floated into her ears, but Rose refused to accept what it was implying.

"I…I won't let him…can't let him die…he can't change…" Rose stuttered through the tears caught in her throat.

Jackie was sympathetic. "I'm sorry Rose, there's nothin' more we can do."

"There HAS to be!" She whacked her fists on the carpeted floor, imploring her mind to think her way out of this. Just like Kroptor. She could do it.

"Walk away Rose. It's over."

Rose tried desperately to ignore her mother, but couldn't deny what she had said wasn't even a little bit true.

"Shut up!" she yelled, still looking down at her Doctor but screaming to the world. "Just shut up! You don't know what you're talkin' about!"

In a blind panic she screwed her eyes up tight, thinking frantically, knowing time was constantly ticking against her. There _had _to be a way. She couldn't let him down. She couldn't let him _die. _

She opened her watery eyes again to look down at _her _Doctor, knowing he wouldn't have told her to save him if there wasn't even a way. She frantically tried to calm herself down a little again, but was failing miserably. She _had _to calm.

She began to think of last night; of the night she had found her Doctor again. She thought of the kisses they had given, of the hugs they had shared and the stories they had both told of one long journey to get back to each other. She loved him so much she couldn't spend a minute of the day not thinking about him, his face, his smile, his adorable hair…

She was beginning to calm down, she could feel it. But she was running out of time. He had saved her life so many times – and now it was time to repay the debt.

Then the answer came.

Nanogenes.

She immediately dived into the Doctor's pocket, not feeling the least bit cheap for stealing from a dead man. After a few seconds of searching, she finally found the tube.

Popping open the vial she only just about managed to hold it steady through her wildly shaking hands. She gently turned his head to the side so the bullet hole was visible, though 'visible' was the operative word with the amount of blood cascading from the still open wound. The nanogenes flew out of the confined space and into the air, buzzing around frantically to assess their latest emergency. She could only hope they weren't too late.

She watched with baited breath as the nanogenes buzzed to the back of his head, for a moment not doing anything – but then the wound visibly started to mend.

It was like the hole regrew its skin, although his blood stayed spilt. It seemed like an eternity until the blood had stop spilling out and Rose wondered dully if the nanogenes replaced blood too. Wait, could they even resurrect? Could they bring people back from the dead? She didn't want him to change. _Please_ don't let him change. Maybe he had lost too much blood. Maybe he was too far-gone. Maybe nanogenes didn't work on Time Lords as they did on humans…

Slowly and carefully, she took his stone cold hand in her own, watching his pale white skin – and willed him to wake up.

* * *

**A/N: **The next chapter's written so weirdly! I'll be the first to admit that... 

_Chapter 30 – "That Big Scene" Part Three_

_He heard his humourless laughter at the thought echo around the black tunnel, though he was pretty sure he hadn't opened his mouth. Well, thinking about it, he couldn't really remember. This was all so weird, so surreal. He hadn't even stopped to think about where he essentially was, where he had come from, or where he was actually headed. All he knew was that the light was bright and warm, inviting him towards it – he had to get there at any cost._


	30. “That Big Scene” Part Three

**A/N: **Woo! Alerts are back! About bloody time too. Forty-three emails awaited me when I got home from just a _lovely _day at school. That was sarcasm, by the way. My day basically went: English exam, English, Maths exam, French, Science exam.

Oh, here's an interesting thing. My friend's English class got to watch The Shakespeare Code whilst we we watching the crappy Tempest! Alarmingly and a bit like a drug addict, I seemed to have withdrawal symptoms and ended up repeatedly whacking my head against the wall during Prospero's bloody rant about giving up his damned magic...LIKE I GIVE A CRAP!

This is possibly the weirdest chapter I've ever written. But during a practice paper for a reading exam the other day it was talking about 'light at the end of the tunnel' stuff and I thought to myself - hey, why not give it a try?

...It was also talking about doctors selling body parts online.

But we'll skip that for now.

* * *

Chapter 30 – "That Big Scene" Part Three

The light was so bright.

The Doctor had been walking for what seemed like days now, towards the distant light. To begin with it had only been a speck, but then it had suddenly grown bigger, which frankly, was only to be expected if you were actually walking towards it. It was now so bright it was beginning to hurt his eyes, so he closed them, and continued to walk, as if knowing his there was no chance of objects on the floor without even looking.

The tunnel was so dark and cold. It was like being at the start of the James Bond films, walking along the black tube to the white light at the end, where Bond would classically stop and shoot at the camera. Roger Moore always had the classic shot. Roger Moore was his favourite Bond by far.

He heard his humourless laughter at the thought echo around the black tunnel, though he was pretty sure he hadn't opened his mouth. Well, thinking about it, he couldn't really remember. This was all so weird, so surreal. He hadn't even stopped to think about where he essentially was, where he had come from, or where he was actually headed. All he knew was that the light was bright and warm, inviting him towards it – he had to get there at any cost.

He knew he was injured, his foot, his head. He knew something had happened, although he couldn't quite remember, and couldn't actually feel any pain. He didn't know how he was injured, he just knew from instinct. He knew there had been someone when he had left, someone beautiful, someone whom he adored. He knew he had been taken cruelly away from them…though he couldn't for the life, or death, of him what their name was. Maybe they would be waiting for him when he reached the light.

He looked up again, suddenly surprised to find people looking down at him. Suddenly the tunnel floor infront of him was sloping upwards, up toward the light where these people where looking from, with kind eyes. He recognised the faces. Was that…? No. It couldn't be. That wasn't…his mother?

Yes, there she was, gazing down at him. She opened her mouth to speak but although he heard no words, he could imagine them in his head.

_Come here, _she was saying. _Come here sweetheart. Come on. We're all waiting for you._

Come here? Come where? He didn't know, though he ached to find out. Suddenly another face sharpened into focus, one he also recognised.

_C'mon little brother. Come here. Come to the light._

Then another.

_Here, m'boy. This is the place. This is peace. This is paradise._

"All the 'p's, eh?" the Doctor wondered aloud. Though, paradise did sound like a rather tempting place to be.

Slowly, he stepped forward, and made his way towards the light.

More faces appeared now, not just of family. His friends. His entire race. His mind was like a stadium full of crowds and crowds of people, all willing him to carry on. To carry on and never stop.

He was so almost there now. He was so close. He was so close that if he had a metre stick, which of course he did not, he could touch the light. It didn't even seem to be blinding him anymore. How did _that _work, then?

A hand extended towards him - that of his mother's - stretching out towards him. He recognised the instant smell of the perfume that she always used to wear, recognised the wedding ring his father had given her still welded into the skin of her finger, having been there for so many years.

"Mum…" he whispered, a tearing rolling down his cheek. Now, that one he _didn't _say.

He was about to take the proffered hand and go through the light, but then he noticed something. The path was split into two. On the end of one was the white portal, the other end, which he seemed to have not noticed in his rush to the white portal, a shining golden hue of regenerative energy.

Regeneration? What was that? No. The white portal was where he belonged. He wanted to pass through, to his mother and father, be _happy _for the rest of eternity. In peace. In paradise. In Heaven.

Suddenly, something hit him. …Heaven? Had he just thought Heaven?

He didn't even have time to think about this before the tunnel suddenly started to shake wildly and erratically, making him fall to the floor with a yelp of pure surprise. Unexpectedly, the floor that had once been a hill had levelled to impeccably flat, and he looked back up at the light whilst the tunnel stabilised itself.

However, the first thing he knew was he wasn't injured anymore. He sat up, checking himself over. He felt wet around the neck and back. His hair felt heavy with more wetness, and suddenly his foot was coloured red.

The plain stabled, and he suddenly found his original injuries returning. What was happening?

He didn't even paused to consider it. Oh, never mind that now. He could still get to the white portal.

But then he really began to wonder. Re-gen-er-ation. Regeneration. What was that? It was in his mind somewhere, although it was faint – right towards the back. He dusted off the memory, pushing it forcedly to the front of his mind amidst the fog of innocence.

Then he realised.

"N-no…" he stuttered out, shuffling back along the floor, away from the white portal and away from his family. "I don't want to die!"

At his words, the portal infront of him to which once had been white, assumed a now a deep red, crimson coloured light of blood. Before he knew it, his family had disappeared – something had leapt out of the portal, something big, black and…

Wolves.

Angry, bloodthirsty wolves.

Blood dripped from the gaps in their teeth as they leapt out of the portal one by one, howling as they went. They were charging towards him, eyes on fire, the blood on their teeth flying everywhere on the blackened path.

Somehow, the Doctor knew that blood was his own.

He struggled to his feet, suddenly aware of the pain in his foot. He attempted to move, to run, to get away from these horrid, savage merciless beasts. They were going to rip him to shreds if he didn't move pronto.

He began to run forward, the pain on his foot suddenly building up a crescendo. Then his head started pulsating. With every step the agony rippled through his foot and his head pounded – though he tried desperately to ignore it. He was running, and he didn't care where. He was heading back in the direction he had been walking for so long, not even remembering there was no chance of escape down there, as the tunnel had been nothing but constantly black with just the light shining at the end during his progression here.

He then felt something catch below his left foot, and with a cry of pain, he smacked the floor hard. There was just enough time to turn over onto his back as the wolves all leapt onto him, and suddenly everything disappeared into a shining bright white light – and with a gasp of surprise, the Doctor felt extremely cold.

He tried in vain to force his eyes open, battling the ghoul in the black robe and scythe as he fought for his very existence. There was a distant voice calling out to him from the darkness – begging him to go forward, to breathe in.

So he did.

* * *

Half the estate was in an uproar, and not a single person knew exactly why.

Apparently there had been some gunshots from the flats, though no one knew which one. Apparently someone had been yelling, screaming of a male, but no one had known to whom the voice belonged. Someone had suspected there'd been a burglary, but it was difficult to know from which flat. The police had been called.

Howard O'Hanon picked his way through the milling crowd with Mickey Smith in tow, both of them having a pretty clear picture of where the gunshots might have come from, and who had yelled. They had to get them out of there before the authorities arrived, regardless of which Doctor had been hurt.

Even before they had reached the steps, there was a bloodcurdling scream. Then another. And another. Both men swivelled around only to gaze upon the sight of a woman cradling a small child, screaming as an alien with distorted facial features run towards her, evil grin, hands outstretched.

The Reapers had arrived.

And this time, they were taking everyone.

* * *

**A/N: **Nearly there! Oh, and incase you never figured, the future Doctor always refers to his present self as his 'double' whilst his present self refers to his future self as his 'doppelganger'. Teenage Rory always used to refer to his real dad, the future Doctor as 'father', whilst the present Doctor was always referred to as 'dad'. Just a little showbiz fact for yer there. Wasn't that exciting:)

_ Chapter 31 – "That Big Scene" Part Four _

_ Aware her mother was watching her with doubtful eyes, Rose tore her eyes away from the hand and back to his face. No. She must have imagined it. He wasn't even breathing. _

_ She climbed into a straddle position on him to get a closer look when she suddenly felt something lightly hit her arm. Jackie gasped instantly, pointing at the Doctor as Rose looked up, eyes wide._


	31. “That Big Scene” Part Four

**A/N:** A little long, but oh well.

* * *

Chapter 31 – "That Big Scene" Part Four

Rose was only brought to attention from her intense heart choke as the hand she was clutching so tightly seemed to move beneath her own. She blinked in surprise, letting go of the hand and watching it carefully for even the slightest hint of movement. Nothing.

Aware her mother was watching her with doubtful eyes, Rose tore her eyes away from the hand and back to his face. No. She must have imagined it. He wasn't even breathing.

She climbed into a straddle position on him to get a closer look when she suddenly felt something lightly hit her arm. Jackie gasped instantly, pointing at the Doctor as Rose looked up, eyes wide.

"He moved! His arm moved!"

Rose frowned, shaking her head as she hovered a hand over his mouth. "But he's not…"

Before she even had a chance to finish her sentence something flew up again and clutched her arm in a tight grip, accompanied with a chesty sounding cough coming from the man below her.

"Doctor!" she yelled, immediately scooping him up in her arms as the grip on her arm faltered, Rose cradling his body of ashen colour tightly to her. "Wake up!"

As she loosened him a little and looked down at his face the Doctor gasped in air, eyes flying open in the midst of pure shock. He stared up at Rose with his wide, terrified brown orbs, as if he couldn't quite believe where he was. He blinked a few times, eyes lined red with his face still unspeakably pale. Rose smiled down at him, supportively hitting his back as he was gripped by the chesty cough for another time.

It finally came to a halt as he closed his eyes again, reaching up a hand to his head and moaning with the migraine aching in his head.

"Blimey, I have a hangover and a half."

Rose laughed, _his _laugh, almost seeming to lift some of the pain from his head. The nanogenes had used up every last morsel of energy into taking the bullet out of his head and fixing his foot; but they'd slightly forgotten to heal the cut on his forehead too before they promptly lost energy and disappeared. She kissed him again, though this time it was a kiss of love and happiness.

"Where have I been?" he whispered as she drew back, trying to recall the dream, but it was fading, fast.

"Where did you go?" Rose questioned, suddenly realising he must have, literally, met Death.

"There was…a tunnel…" he muttered, straining to try and remember. "My mother…my…and…James Bond…"

It was gone.

Rose giggled at him as she eased him back down onto the ground and reached for a red felt cushion on the sofa, picking it up and slipping it under his head to make him more comfortable.

"For the last few minutes, you've been dead."

"Feels like it too," he muttered, rubbing his aching head. "Cold…" He tried to turn his throbbing skull to look for his doppelganger, but it was pounding too much to allow more then a centimetre of movement.

"Try not to move," she said softly, grabbing a blanket from the sofa and draping it carefully over him. He was still so pale. "Just relax, yeah?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Don't ever go brain-dead on me again," she whispered, nuzzling his cheek with her nose.

"Don't force me to watch Eastenders then," he whispered cheekily, before he brought an arm up to shield his eyes from the light. Rose glanced over at the doppelganger who was now sitting up, nursing his head. Obviously the timelines had rearranged themselves, and the bullet had been removed.

Rose found herself smiling at him.

She rushed over to him and helped him to his feet, hugging him tightly around his middle.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she whispered over and over again. "You saved his life, thank you!"

If but a little confused, the doppelganger nodded, putting his arms around her and returning the hug. He hadn't remembered the nanogenes just before he passed out, not _really._ He just wanted her to believe in herself. He smiled. That was extremely Doctor-ish, if he recalled himself. Maybe it wasn't too late to go back to being the Doctor.

Or maybe, he should just consider he wasn't meant to _be _the Doctor.

All of a sudden the flat door burst open, and Howard and Mickey tumbled in through the door, panting. They didn't even stop to register the injured Doctor on the floor, too focused on their task.

"Rose, Jackie," Mickey gasped, "Doctor, there's monsters everywhere…they're taking everyone…"

Howard seemed to be equally as worried. "The police 'ave been called, you've all gotta get outta 'ere!"

"Reapers," the doppelganger muttered under his breath. Rose nodded, understanding, whilst everyone else just looked on in confusion.

The doppelganger gave Rose a lopsided smile, taking a step back and jogging over to the window, Rose following.

"We've gotta correct our timestream," the doppelganger said, biting his lip as he looked down at the suffering humans running like sheep away from a force they couldn't comprehend. He glanced back around the room, desperately trying to think.

Rory was still crying, obviously disturbed by what had gone on here – too mature for such young eyes. The doppelganger swallowed, jogging over to him and taking him out of Jackie's arms into his own. He knelt down and sat him on the floor, putting his hands to his son's temples.

But ten seconds later his eyes opened again, and Rory had stopped crying. He was now giggling, and the doppelganger smiled reassuringly at Rose.

"I blocked most of his memories of what happened here," he explained to Rose. "He's not ready to know the horrors. Not yet. He's my son, and I won't let him be hurt by it."

He gave Rory one last little ruffle of his hair before he glanced around the room, eyes resting on his double still lying wounded on the floor, his crimson coloured face covered by his arm. Rose was kneeling next to him now, calling out his name.

"Is he awake?" the doppelganger asked, dropping to his haunches next to Rose.

"Doctor?" Rose asked again, lifting his arm off of his blooded face to reveal open eyes staring up at them both groggily. "Is he okay?" she asked the doppelganger, anxiously.

"Just stunned, it's nothing serious, he'll be okay in ten minutes," he answered, before turning his attention to the Doctor. "Okay, listen to me a second," the doppelganger started, holding his hand out to Jackie, who quickly deposited her emergency hanky into it. "You're pretty much an idiot, because you could have gotten rid of me from the start. Are you telling me not _once _did you even think that you'd _never _do what I did?"

The Doctor's look said it all.

"Maybe we're not so different after all," the doppelganger pointed out, rather truthfully. "It was always so simple. None of this was ever meant to happen, so all you've got to do is get rid of me by pure willpower. Promise me now – you will _never _let Rose out of your sight. Once you promise me that…she won't die in the future…so I won't exist. Promise me you will _always _look after her. Promise me!"

"I promise…" he gasped, "I will never let her go…I will always stay with her…I will love her now, always and forever…I will never turn into you."

The doppelganger smiled, handing Rose the emergency hanky and straightening up to full height.

Rose, Rory, Jackie, Howard and Mickey watched in awe as the future Doctor and her Doctor were suddenly enveloped in sombre blue light, tingling on their skin like a special aura of energy. Bright white light shot from the future Doctor, he screamed out in joy as everything he'd done, said and affected since Rose's untimely death was reversed dramatically back to nothing.

He was going back to where he belonged.

Every particle of his being was slowly flying up into the air like some kind of short-range teleport, though Rose knew he was not short ranged teleporting – he was being surgically removed from time.

After what seemed like half a minute his physical form was totally and utterly gone, save for a golden hue of after energy hovering in mid air. Soon it vanished completely, and within seconds the Doctor on the floor had closed his eyes.

Rose was over him in a flash, checking him over carefully as his eyes remained closed.

"Doctor!" she said loudly, striking him lightly on the cheek. "Come back to me!"

He groaned, his eyelids opening as Rose quickly lifted the hanky, dabbing at his head wound. She beamed at him.

"Welcome back."

"Did I ever go away?" he smiled gently, and Rose laughed.

"Two Doctors, and I swear you don't possess a brain cell between you," she joked, kissing him softly on the lips.

"Eh?" Jackie voice suddenly said, prompting the both of them to look up at her. She looked plainly confused. "What just 'appened? Why is the Doctor like that?"

Rose frowned. "What did you just say?"

"Doctor, you've got your blood all _over _my carpet! I 'ope you're gonna clear that up! Why are you like that? What the bleedin' 'eck just 'appened?"

"I fell over," the Doctor suddenly interrupted Rose before she went ballistic ahead of understanding the nature of what had just happened. Rose caught on as she looked also as Mickey and Howard, who seemed to be just as confused as her mother was.

"Yeah. Fell over that rug of yours and hit his head on the stone around the fireplace. I told you that rug was a liability. Don't you remember, mum?"

She frowned. "No, I don't. I think my memory's goin'…"

"What _do _you remember?"

"I remember…you both got drunk and the Doctor got you pregnant with twins," Jackie said, bobbing Rory up and down as he let out a giggle. "Then…somethin' 'appened which is a bit foggy…then I remember only one twin survived…then…we had the funeral…then something else happened…"

"Okay, we get the picture mum," Rose said with a smile, before turning back to the Doctor and widening her eyes at him as she continued to dab away at the blood.

"He was erased from existence," the Doctor explained in an undertone. "Everything he ever did, every action he took has been wiped from memory."

"I still remember him though…" Rose muttered back, the other three not even taking notice of their private conversation as Rory obediently distracted them.

"Because you have my blood in you. When you were giving birth to Rory I gave you a lot of my blood, which is Time Lord slash human. You've got the power to remember everything that has been and always will be, regardless of how much you change the Timelines."

"Am I an alien?"

He smiled, weakly. "No. And that's what I like about you. Plain old dull normal boring human species. The traces of Time Lord blood cells are so small they're practically not there – just a side effect."

"What about physical stuff? The cut on your head should be gone, since he inflicted it."

He shook his head, if but a little painfully. "Causality is a strange thing with Time Lords Rose. Try not to think about it too much. You can't question it 'til you understand it. Most of what he physically did will still be here, to you and me at least anyway, because I'm half Time-Lord and you're a smidgen and…" he looked at her expression. "…Just don't start asking too many questions because your flimsy human brain might implode with confusion," he finished off, grinning at her. She scowled, though it was with a smile.

"Doctor," Jackie started loudly. "Was it something to do with llamas?"

He and Rose both laughed, choosing to ignore her for the moment. The Doctor looked up at Rose, head pounding and his forehead stinging – but he had one last thing to do.

"Rose, there's something I want to ask you."

"Hmm?"

"Something I've been wanting to ask for a long time."

"Yeah?"

He slowly pushed back the blanket and got to his feet, swaying slightly as he leant against her for vertical support, blinking rapidly to try and find his centre of gravity. Everyone was watching him now as he slowly and carefully reached into his trouser pocket, withdrawing a small, red velvet box. He got down onto one knee infront of her, opening the box to reveal a diamond-studded ring embedded comfortably in the cushion, which made her heart do front flips.

He held it up to her, grinning from ear to ear with blood still running down the side of his face as he said the words she _longed _to hear:

"Rose Tyler…will you marry me?"

"YES!" Rory yelled.

* * *

**A/N: **Now, ya weren't expecting THAT, were yer? 

...Okay. Maybe you were. I've been casually hinting at it ever since something like chapter seven, or whichever one it was. Quite a lot of hints, really. Kinda subtle though :D SO NEAR THE END! Next chapter, then chapter after that and we're DONE!

_Chapter 32 – Five-A-Day Malarkey_

_"Daddy?" Something suddenly whacked him over the head and the Doctor cried out, moaning in pain as his headache seemingly vibrated in his skull. He turned to see Rory wielding the bottle of milk in one hand, the plastic end never seeming so foreboding as it reeled back from hitting the side of his head. _

_The Doctor gritted his teeth, trying to keep the pain under wraps. "You little…" _

_"I love you," Rory carried on in a small voice, hugging him tightly. The Doctor rolled his eyes as he accepted it, glancing over at Rose. _

_And he froze. _

Now review and tell me alllllll about your day :D Please? As always, I'm gonna reply to all reviews in the final chapter. Coz I'm so lovely. No, really. Don't laugh!!! (Cries and runs away)


	32. FiveADay Malarkey

**A/N: **Next chapter's last chapter, and due to all the ace reviews I've had I'm posting this earlier than intended XD I won't be able to update tomorrow, but I will on Saturday. I'll also talk about other stories next chapter in the final a/n. I swear my a/ns get as long as the story sometimes :-/ Apologies for badly written chapter. I'm really not in the mood for proof reading:P

* * *

Chapter 32 – Five-A-Day Malarkey

"Okay…walk to me…to me…"

Rory giggled at the prospect of the task, clutching onto his mum's jumper desperately as he stared over at the Doctor sitting but three feet away, hands outstretched.

"Walk over to me…" he was saying, "c'mon…walk over to me…"

Gently, Rose lifted him up so he was standing, holding him steady as he tentively put one foot forward.

"Legs," Rory said, giggling again.

"Glad to see 'e 'as the genius of his daddy, eh?" Jackie said as she stepped in from the kitchen, holding a tray with three cups of tea, a bottle of milk, a glass of water and a box of pills on.

"C'mere Rory…c'mon…walk over to me…" the Doctor continued, diligently ignoring her. "To me!"

He took another step forward, growing in confidence as he got nearer to his dad. Suddenly the hands supporting him let go, and he was standing precariously in the middle of the carpeted flat floor but a foot away from his dad's open arms. He took a breath, the Doctor, Rose and Jackie all encouraging him on – and ran forward.

The Doctor caught him and the room immediately erupted into cheers and applause as little Rory hugged his dad, looking up at him and beaming. The Doctor laughed at the amount of pride in his son's eyes, not hesitating to hand him the bottle of milk Jackie had supplied. Rory shoved it into his mouth and happily began to suck.

"'Ere, got you a present," Jackie said casually to the Doctor, indicating the box of pills and glass of water on the wooden tray.

"What?" the Doctor asked, bemused. He reached up to the box and checked carefully over the contents listed on the back.

"They call 'em erysins or summat…"

"Erythromycin," the Doctor corrected, digging a hand in his pocket and slipping on his glasses to read the pack. Rose was edging closer, peering at the box from a distance. Rory was also staring, his chocolate brown eyes scanning over the back, but of course it was nearly all a foreign language to him.

"Are they safe?" Rose asked.

"Yep. No penicillin."

Rose smiled, leaning forward and kissing him gently on the cheek. "Did I ever tell ya how good you look in those glasses?"

"Little children in the room," Rory suddenly pointed out correctly. He gave his dad a small push on the arm. "Goodbye!"

"Excuse _me!" _The Doctor gave him a light push back. "I'm over nine hundred years old, thank you very much!"

"Don't act it," Jackie contributed loudly from the kitchen to which she had disappeared again, hunting through the cupboards to try and find something quick and nourishing for dinner. "Still don't understand why we can't get any takeaway burgers!"

The Doctor sighed pointedly, rolling his eyes. "I don't eat that rubbish, Jackie." He knocked back the water and two tablets of Erythromycin in succession, feeling slightly relieved. He still had a stonker of a headache to try and ignore. "God only knows what's in them."

"You're not one of those people who believe in all that five-a-day malarkey, are ya?"

The Doctor snorted as Rose silently laughed, recalling their last meal together of mushy peas, chips, onion rings and sausages. "Nah. 'Fraid I'd have to drag you back to all the penicillin stuff, Jackie. The animals that get slaughtered for the fast food restaurants usually get dosed up with antibiotics and hormones and what have you. Sometimes it's penicillin. Eat that rubbish if you like Jackie, just don't eat it too much, yeah? You might build an immunity then you're dead next time you pick up a simple virus because the penicillin would be ineffective."

"You could lecture school children."

He shrugged. "It's the truth."

"Daddy?" Something suddenly whacked him over the head and the Doctor cried out, moaning in pain as his headache seemingly vibrated in his skull. He turned to see Rory wielding the bottle of milk in one hand, the plastic end never seeming so foreboding as it reeled back from hitting the side of his head.

The Doctor gritted his teeth, trying to keep the pain under wraps. "You little…"

"I love you," Rory carried on in a small voice, hugging him tightly. The Doctor rolled his eyes as he accepted it, glancing over at Rose.

And he froze.

"Doctor…" she moaned, hand on her womb. Her face was contorted with pain.

"Rose?" he asked warily, aware of Jackie now standing behind him. "What's wrong?"

"…Doctor…something's…happening…"

Jackie silently took his son from his arms as he made to move forward towards her, but then she cried out in pain – and he sped it up. He quickly reached her and wrapped an arm around her for support.

"What's wrong?" he asked again, resting his own hand on her womb. "Hurting?"

She nodded, furiously. "Oh God…it's not like a contraction…it's…screaming…"

The Doctor started to look worried, helping her onto her feet as quickly and carefully as he could.

"TARDIS Infirmary," he said immediately. "I need to check you over."

She nodded again, before the pain took hold again and made her involuntarily cry out, almost stumbling over her own feet.

"It's the babies, isn't it? What's wrong, Doctor? Please God, let them be okay…" she whispered as the Doctor helped her back up to start walking. In a flash she screamed out loud again, the Doctor catching her in his arms as she lapsed into a dead faint. Jackie gasped, Rory just staring at his mum fearfully.

"Gotta get her to the TARDIS," the Doctor said again, scooping her up and carrying her in a jog through the hall and out of the front door. Jackie quickly grabbed a blanket from the side and wrapped Rory in it, anxious for her daughter's health.

"Mummy…" Rory said quietly as his gran picked him back up again, holding him close to her for moral support. "Is mummy gonna be okay?"

"Yes," Jackie answered carefully. "You're daddy's gonna take good care of 'er."

"Mummy…"

"We're gonna go see her now, okay? Daddy took 'er to your 'ouse to get better."

"TARD-y," Rory corrected.

* * *

By the time Jackie arrived at the TARDIS Infirmary, the Doctor was rushing around handling printouts and binary scans, attaching various pieces of medical equipment to the unconscious human woman in the observation bed. 

"I don't understand!" the Doctor was saying over and over again, pulling at his hair to aid his thoughts. "According to the printouts there's nothing wrong! Everything's functioning perfectly!"

He stopped by the bed, looking down at his fiancée's pained face and running his hand down his face. He _had _to think. What could possibly be the problem? He glanced over a printout again – and his eyes widened as he realised what was causing it.

"Oh please…no…" he muttered, rooting around in the medical drawers for ultrasound equipment. Could he even ultrasound it so early in the pregnancy? He _had _to try. "No, no, no, no!"

By the time the Doctor had the ultrasound set up, the medicine he'd given Rose to stabilise her heart rate and take away most of the fatigue and nausea had taken effect. She awoke to the feeling of something wet and cold being spread over her womb, and she opened her eyes to see the Doctor doing another ultrasound on her – looking too worried to notice she had awoken.

"Doctor?" she asked quietly, and he instantly looked down at her, looking a little remorseful.

"Rose," he said quietly, extending out the hand not holding the plunger like implement to her face, tracing over her cheek. "We've got a problem."

She blinked. "What? The babies? Are they okay?"

He looked a little sheepish all of a sudden, scratching behind his ear nervously.

"Umm," he began, gesturing vaguely up at the screen with his left hand. "About that plural of the word 'baby' you're using…"

Rose's eyes widened, looking up at the screen where a small blob of a Pacman shaped object was residing. There were tiny spots for facial features just about distinguishable on a growth, apparently a head. "Single baby?"

He nodded, regretfully.

"But…" she started again, glancing over to her left where her mum was sat with a hand on her arm, the other holding a very innocent looking Rory, appearing as supportive as possible. "I thought you said that was bad?"

"Yes. It's bad. What you experienced back there was something you'll probably get on a day-to-day basis. I _can _give you drugs to nullify some of the symptoms, but I can't work miracles. This pregnancy is going to be a lot longer. Infact; you've been pregnant for around two weeks or so already. I'll have to take you to an alien hospital to give birth – because I can guarantee you will not survive five minutes of intense labour without help. Though, there is an alternative."

"What?"

"…It's abortable."

Silence dawned on them all as this information slowly seeped in – and then Jackie spoke up.

"I want you to abort it."

Rose's eyes widened. "Mum!"

"Rose, I am not gonna watch you go through that again."

"But mum…"

"No 'buts' sweetheart." She looked up at the Doctor, who was doing his best to stay out of the conversation. "Abort it, Doctor."

"No!" Rose cried out, struggling to sit up. In an instant the Doctor was by her side, supporting her protectively. She looked up at him, straight into his eyes. "Boy or girl?"

"Extremely hard to tell so early, but according to preliminary scans…a girl," he answered quietly.

She nodded, confident. "Then we're keepin' her."

"But Rose darlin'…" Jackie tried to start again, trying to convince her this was complete madness.

"This is mine and the Doctor's baby, mum. We'll take the decision."

"That poses another question Rose," the Doctor suddenly said meekly, scratching behind his ear again. "Umm, is this baby _mine,_ or…" He swallowed. "…His."

Rose blinked. "Does that really matter?"

"…It does to me."

"Who?" Jackie asked, frowning.

"Mum, switch off a sec, you won't understand. Doctor…" Rose started again, reaching up to his cheek and tracing her hand down it tenderly. "…It's yours, either way."

"Rose…" He shook his head. "Please. This really matters to me."

She thought, hard. "We…you and me, we made love the night you disappeared, and it split…remember?"

He nodded.

"…And I made love with him the night we got back to the TARDIS, without protection."

Jackie went ballistic. "You 'ad sex without protection?!"

"It was just after my period!" Rose countered, "he said the day after there was a chance I could be pregnant, but it was extremely slight."

"You didn't think to take a Mornin' After pill?!"

"Mum, Morning After pills don't work with alien pregnancies."

The Doctor was looking at the floor now, solemn. "So…it could be either one of us."

She watched him, carefully. "There…there must be a test we can do. To see if it's yours or his."

He nodded, if but a little hesitantly. "Ye…yeah."

"Do it," she said gently, caressing his cheek. "But I'm warnin' you, it'll be yours."

He smiled lightly, forcedly. "I hope so," he muttered. "I really hope so."

* * *

**A/N:** _Chapter 33 – Livin' Da Vida Loca_

_He let go of the envelope with one hand, brushing back his hair absently. It was extremely apparent of the battle going on inside his mind. To open it, or not to open it. That was the question._

_He looked up at Rose, seeing her staring at him, sympathetic. He took a moment of just staring at her face, before he finally made a decision._


	33. Livin’ Da Vida Loca

**A/N: **Here we go! The end of the line. End of the road. Finito. Over. End. Final. To cease. Abolish. Terminate. Wrap up. Abort. Close out. Get done. Halt. Conclude. Discontinue. Stop. The final hurdle. BIG lovely juicy A/N at the bottom for yer.

* * *

Chapter 33 – Livin' Da Vida Loca

The Doctor turned the bright white envelope over in his hand, on the front of which the words '**Internal Scan of Tyler, Rose**'were jumping out at him like an omen of some kind. He turned it back over again; well aware Rose, Jackie and even Rory were watching him in anticipation, waiting for him to open it up.

"So, date of conception 14th January is yours, 16th January is his?" Rose asked, holding Rory in an attempt to soften her nerves. She absently brushed back his thick golden-ish hair, unconsciously noting he'd need a haircut soon. He was going to be one of those people, like the Doctor, whose hair just seemed to keep on growing and growing no matter what, needing a haircut way more than considered a normal rate.

The Doctor nodded at the question, staring at the back of the envelope as if he wasn't actually one hundred percent sure how to open one.

He let go of the envelope with one hand, brushing back his hair absently. It was extremely apparent of the battle going on inside his mind. To open it, or not to open it. That was the question.

He looked up at Rose, seeing her staring at him, sympathetic. He took a moment of just staring at her face, before he finally made a decision.

"Rose," he started, still clutching the envelope but no longer holding it with that sense of fear and dread. "I love you. I love you, I love Rory, and I love this baby girl. I don't want that to be shattered by this envelope." He held it up, the lettering on the front standing out to both Rose and Jackie Tyler. "I'd rather not know. I know I'm a coward. But I can't stop loving her just because she's not who I want her to be."

Rose nodded, fully understanding what he was actually doing as he smiled his handsome, winning smile at her.

"I'm sorry, but I'd rather live in ignorance." He kissed her on the cheek, before helping her onto her feet and leading her towards the Infirmary door. "Let's go buy some chips to celebrate."

She beamed at him, to which he returned with one even wider, pausing in his stride only to toss the still sealed envelope in a handy nearby bin next to the Infirmary door. Together Rose, Rory and the Doctor disappeared out the door – a family together at last.

Jackie smiled after them, her eyes following along to the bin where the Doctor had dropped the test results. Cautiously, she reached in amongst the other abandoned pieces of paper and junk, withdrawing out the sealed envelope.

For a few seconds she just stared at it, clicking her tongue in contemplation.

Well, it wouldn't hurt. Either way the Doctor wouldn't know, and it wasn't like she was going to tell him anyway.

She used her finger nail to cut through the seal, pulling out the slip of paper from within. It was in English, luckily.

**Basic Scan**

**Name: **_Rose Tyler_

**Species: **_Homo Sapiens_

**Chronicle Age: **_20_

**Physical Age: **_20_

**Blood Type: **_O-Negative, minute traces of QQ-Positive_

**Outer Scan: **_No faults found_

**Inner Scan: **_No faults found_

**Pregnant: **_True_

---

**Requested Scan: Pregnancy**

**Male/Female: **_Female_

**Species: **_**-**__Error-_

**Size: **_1"_

**Outer Scan: **_No faults found_

**Inner Scan: **_No faults found_

**Date Of Conception: **_1:56am 14__th__ January_

Jackie Tyler was grinning like a lunatic.

Before she could even stop herself she had sped out of the Infirmary door, waving the letter about whilst yelling, "oh my God Doctor, she's yours!" and running out of the TARDIS doors.

Of _course _she was going to tell him. Now it would just be mean to keep bottled up inside, wouldn't it?

* * *

The Doctor held his fiancée's hand in his own, smiling at her as she brushed back his hair from his face, thumb tracing over the cut on his forehead as she kissed his lower jawbone. He kissed her back, a silent thank you for bringing the duvet into the Nursery again when she really didn't need to. He should have been the one, really. She was nearly a month pregnant, and as far he could tell she was going to do at least five months with the single baby. True, she was pretty drugged up to stop the complications, but she claimed it felt just like fading in and out of being mildly tipsy. 

He let his eyes temporarily drop down to her engagement ring, letting out a sigh of relief through gritted teeth. He'd bought it whilst she was off buying video games in the Transgalactic Hyperspace Hypergo Market, and had kept it impossibly safe with him throughout his entire ordeal – namely, away from the prying eyes of Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Tyler.

Okay, so the proposal hadn't exactly been 'candlelit-dinner-in-the-moonlight' but surely the temptation of a proposal after surviving a shot in the head and having blood all over you after just defeating your own tormented self from the future was just too great to resist?

The wedding, they decided, would take place in the spring in late March two months from now, when it was a little warmer. Jackie was already fussing over the arrangements and had tried to get them to stay on Earth, but one terrified looked from the Doctor had been enough to get the both of them back into the TARDIS pretty sharpish. They were now doing a loop circuit in the Vortex; the three…strike that, four of them glad to be back home again.

As the Doctor snapped back to reality he noticed Rose was still smiling at him, gazing into his eyes. He immediately squeezed them shut and gave a grin.

"Ruin everythin' why don't ya," Rose said with a smile, leaning harder on her side of the beanbag she was laying on in order to get him to fall onto her. She succeeded with merits, and he kissed her again as he laid over her like a second duvet.

The Doctor had grown to quite like sleeping in this space now, as long as he was with her. He couldn't actually imagine ever being unhappy ever again, to be totally honest. Rose just gave him happiness and didn't seem to be able to stop.

Which was absolutely fine with him.

Rory was sleeping again in the newly constructed crib barely three feet from them, and although the lights were out Rose could see the Doctor perfectly clearly from the beautiful blue glow of the TARDIS walls.

"G'night Doctor," Rose whispered as she slid down under the duvet and her fiancé, her head resting in the crook of his arm where he repositioned it to a more comfortable position from the both of them. He slid down a little, also closing his eyes.

"Nighty night Rose," he whispered back, and the entire room lapsed into silence as the reunited family laid content, oblivious to the horror which was about to befall on them that fateful night.

Not the Daleks, no. Not even the Cybermen. Not a werewolf, ghosts, Slitheen, vampires _or_ the Master. No, it was _much _worse than that. This was the stuff that haunted the Doctor's dreams…no, _nightmares_. It fed off his happiness like he was nothing more than a chewy toffee sweet, stopped him existing in total peace for it was there, lurking, all day everyday and he could do nothing to stop it. It was a true monster. It was a presence. It came without warning. It never stopped. It was a horror.

A horror with the name of Jackie Tyler.

_Ring, ring. _

_Ring, ring._

_Ring, ring._

_Ring, ring._

"Are you gonna answer that?" Rose asked, opening her eyes and looking up at her fiancés still closed ones.

"Wait for it," he muttered.

_Ring, ring._

_Ring, ring._

"_Hi granny,"_ Rory's voice suddenly rang out inside the room, plainly pre-recorded. _"It's Rory here. I'm fine, mummy's fine, daddy's fine and the baby's fine, so pwease don't call us anymore unless you want daddy to come and see you with a giant big gun, baam! But daddy says if you're upset over Eastyenders or something then you leave a message after the beepy thing and daddy'll get back to you just as soon as he's finished not giving two monkeys. BLEEP!"_

Rose stared at the Doctor, jaw agape as he smiled to himself in the darkness.

"I love answering machines," he declared, turning back over to face the wall as he closed his eyes.

Nothing in the Universe could defeat him.

Not even his mother-in-law.

**The End**

* * *

**A/N:** That's it then. The end of the line. End of the road. Finito...etc. First of all before anything else; my thanks goes out. 

**First **of all, thanks has to go out to all reviewers and readers whom have stuck with me, for without you this would have never reached chapter five. But I think my special thanks for special people has to go to **0 Keelie 0, forestwife, abcoolness **and **wyldcat **because you practically reviewed every chapter and really kept me on my toes. That's plusing anyone else I forgot who reviewed nearly every chapter, tell me and I'll check, edit this and add you on! Also thanks to **crazytellyaddict, ****0 Keelie 0, ****abcoolness,** **forestwife** and **Bubblez-rocks-your-socks** for reviewing the last chapter.

**Second **to everyone on MSN I droned on to whilst trying to figure out all the Timelines, Timeflows, soft Timeloops, Blanovitch Limitation Effects and etc. You must have been mind numbingly bored, but hey!

**Third, **as always, to all my teachers who made this possible from their dull lessons. That's: **Mr. S** (Science - sorry, that was me who drew moustaches on the sperms), **Mrs. P **(History - I am so _so _sorry! I did NOT start that conversation!), **Miss T** (Maths - sorry I was looking at that pic of David for half your lesson), **Mrs. K-S **(French and Spanish - _I'M _Mickey Mouse!), **Mrs. K **(Cooking and Textiles - sorry for stealing your Icing Sugar, hope you find it soon, it's in the cupboard by the sink), **Mr. S **(D+T - sorry for kissing your son and all that), **Miss. H **(RE - haha! CHUBBY CHEEKS!), **Mrs T **(ICT - OMG, I just feel so SORRY for you! You totally SUCK as a teacher!)...and...I think that's it.

Now, a word about **sequels and trilogies** and what have you.

In the end it's not me who writes it - it's you. If you want me to write another one, then review and tell me. Even suggest something if you like. I just have to know before I go whizzing off writing that people _actually _want it. If I ever did write a trilogy, there are a few things I am certain of. One, it would be the last in the series. Two, all of these would be in it - the wedding for a start, the birth, Captain Jack Harkness, chocolate cake, and chickenpox...though not necessarily in that order...

But before I do anything, the penguin fic WILL be finished. I've been somewhat neglecting it of late, but I've been having a think in Geography about it and I've finally come up with an ending...so woo!

Plus, I have my exams all of next week, and also Scooch is kicking the Doctor in the balls and pushing him into next week so I'm not a very happy bunny right now. The trailer on the end of Lazarus Experiment defo made my day though, so I must _just _be able to cling onto my sanity.

So don't forget - review and tell me what you want me to write! I'll reply to all reviews in a state of withdrawal from lack of Who I'm guessing, but never mind! I'll quietly go psychotic in the corner.

Z-z-z-z-zat's all folks!

RDA


End file.
